Heart Surgery

What matters to heart surgery patients and families, matters to us.

Minimally-invasive heart surgery. Open heart surgery. Cardiothoracic surgeons at Nationwide Children’s Hospital use a variety of surgical techniques to repair congenital and acquired heart defects ranging from the most straightforward to the extremely complex.

Dedicated to the treatment of all patients, regardless of age, our Cardiothoracic Surgical Program treats those who are suffering from congenital disorders of the thorax including heart, lung, mediastium and chest wall. A nationally-ranked, multidisciplinary team is the key to our success. A team who tailors care to the individual patient.

The developer and leader of Hybrid procedures. One of the only pediatric hospitals to use 3-D Video Assisted Thorascopy. The Heart Center continues to be a pioneer in the development of novel treatment strategies allowing us to expand the use of minimally-invasive techniques. The overall driving goal is to improve the long-term quality of life for our patients through the development of minimally-invasive approaches to surgery and shorter recovery time. This less invasive approach is also the cornerstone of the Blood Conservation Program. By exposing patients to less blood products, we reduce the impact of cardiopulmonary bypass.

The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery is renowned for innovative surgical approaches to congenital heart disease and thoracic diseases, which includes the hybrid procedure for the treatment of hypoplastic left heart syndrome; lateral thoracic expansion for Jeune’s Syndrome; and blood conservation techniques, which allow open heart surgery to be performed without a blood transfusion.

Our program is actively involved in quality assurance and improvement on a national, state, and local level. Nationally, we participate in several databases (STS Congenital Heart Surgery Database, NACHRI, UNOS) from which we receive annual reports that are reviewed for areas of improvement. Additionally, we participate in the Optum Health’s Centers of Excellence advisory panel for congenital heart surgery where issues of value (outcomes/cost) are reviewed and incorporated into our quality improvement programs. The Cardiothoracic Surgical program is also part of a statewide database and participates on the Cardiac Standards Subcommittee of the Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps.

The Cardiothoracic Surgical Fellowship is one of only a handful of pediatric cardiac surgery fellowships in the country, teaching surgeons the techniques of congenital cardiac and pediatric thoracic disease.

Cardiac Surgical Services

• Adult congenital heart surgery

• Arterial switch procedure - transposition of the great arteries

• Blood conservation program

• Consultation for fetal heart abnormalities and their management

• Cryoabolation for atrial flutter

• Fontan procedure

• Glenn shunt

• Hybrid surgical procedures

• Newborn infant corrective heart surgery

• Pacemaker insertion, transvenous or epicardial

• Ross procedure for aortic insufficiency or aortic stenosis

• Surgical repair or palliation of a wide range of cardiac conditions

• Tetralogy of Fallot repair

The Heart Center also offers Interventional Cardiology services as an alternative to surgery when appropriate. Interventional cardiology allows complex procedures to be successfully completed while leaving the patient with a band-aid, rather than a scar. Learn about Interventional Cardiology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Bloodless Surgery

Read about Nationwide Children's Hospital’s role in a bloodless atrial septal defect repair (ASD) in an 8 month-old girl.