Children's Heart Surgery

Children's Heart Surgery

Caring for a congenital or acquired heart condition in children or caring for adults with a congenital condition often requires one or more surgical procedures. When you or your doctor or cardiologist consider surgery for your or your child’s heart or vascular condition, take advantage of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital Heart Center, part of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health in Oklahoma City.

Top 50 Best Children's Hospital for Heart Surgery

At Oklahoma Children's Hospital, you’ll work with the first and only comprehensive pediatric cardiothoracic surgery program in Oklahoma. Ranked as one of the Top 50 Best Children's Hospitals in the nation for Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery by U.S. News & World Report, our highly-regarded pediatric surgery team focuses on caring for congenital heart disease and related heart conditions.

You benefit from the extensive experience of Oklahoma Children's Hospital board-certified and fellowship-trained pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons. Our specialists treat hundreds of children and perform more than 450 complex cardiothoracic surgeries each year, ranging from correction of relatively minor heart defects to highly complex repairs involving multiple heart conditions.

Look forward to results at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital Heart Center that meet or exceed the achievements of some of the most successful children’s heart surgery programs in the nation.

Open Heart Surgery Survival Rate

The percentage of children who survive open-heart surgery at Oklahoma Children's Hospital stands above the national average, with a 98.8% overall survival rate for all who receive cardiac surgery, regardless of how complex the surgery. View additional pediatric cardiac surgery outcomes.

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Request an appointment or referral to find out more about diagnostic tests and clinic visits for children's heart care at Oklahoma Children's Hospital.

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Children’s Cardiothoracic Surgery Services

No matter what heart or vascular condition you or your child face, your unique situation can benefit from a fully dedicated children’s hospital with every aspect of care – anesthesia, operating rooms, cardiac ICU and around-the-clock intensive care – designed specifically and only for cardiac kids.

Your heart treatment options at Oklahoma Children's Hospital may include cardiothoracic surgery and services such as:

  • Congenital cardiac surgery – Repairs misplaced coronary arteries connected to the aorta

  • Neonatal and infant cardiac surgery – Repairs congenital and other defects in the heart or large blood vessels connected to it

  • Single ventricle cardiac surgery – Creates alternative method for blood circulation through the heart in a series of three surgeries between birth and age 3; includes Norwood (Stage 1), Glenn (Stage 2) and Fontan (Stage 3) procedures

  • Adult congenital cardiac surgery

  • Mononuclear cell therapy for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) – Boosts right-side heart performance in preparation for potential surgical intervention

  • Pediatric thoracic surgery for chest wall abnormalities

Thanks to support from generous benefactors, parents of all children in the single ventricle surgery process receive a digital scale and an oxygen saturation monitor to help provide ongoing care.

Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery

In addition to traditional open surgery, your child’s condition may respond to an alternative approach that eliminates the need for an incision through the breastbone.

Using minimally invasive laparoscopic, hybrid or robotic-assisted techniques, your child’s skilled surgeon works with tiny precision tools through small incisions in the rib cage, which means your child typically experiences less pain and discomfort, as well as a quicker recovery.

Learn more about Oklahoma Children's Hospital surgery services for children and how to prepare for your child’s surgery. For more information, download a PDF titled Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery Preparation.

You also may want to participate with us in the Oklahoma City chapter of Mended Little Hearts, an online community for children, families and caregivers living with pediatric heart conditions.

Related Oklahoma Children's Hospital Services

When you or your child need heart surgery, you’ll benefit from related Oklahoma Children's Hospital children’s surgery services that may involve:

Learn more about congenital heart care for adults and the Fetal Heart Program at Oklahoma Children's Hospital.

Innovative Heart Facilities & Staff Available 24/7

You’ll find us ready to provide heart care for you or your child around the clock. In any of three fully integrated operating rooms equipped with advanced surgical technology designed just for cardiac kids, including the latest video recording and conferencing services, you receive the best care in the region for your or your child’s surgical procedure.

Pediatric Cardiac Nursing

As part of your Oklahoma Children's Hospital experience, you’ll work with a cardiac nursing team that includes staff nurses, nurse educators, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners who collaborate with professionals from multiple healthcare disciplines. Using evidence-based practices and nursing research, they welcome open discussions with you and your family to foster an effective healing environment that meets your child’s specific physical and emotional needs.

Child Life Specialists

Child Life specialists on staff at Oklahoma Children's Hospital help you and your family stay as comfortable and informed as possible. You can take advantage of Child Life programs for your hospitalized child to share feelings and emotions and learn as much as you can about medical care. As you and your child prepare for surgery, you may want to schedule a guided tour of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital Heart Center to help everyone understand what to expect before, during and after cardiac procedures.

Your Child’s Heart Care Team

Your or your child’s Oklahoma Children's Hospital heart, vascular and cardiothoracic care team may include pediatric cardiologists, pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons, pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists, pediatric critical care specialists and pediatric cardiac nurses, as well as child life specialists, social workers, therapists and healthcare professionals from many disciplines.

Experienced Surgeons, Advanced Technologies

At Oklahoma Children's Hospital Heart Center, you benefit from collaborating with an experienced and nationally-ranked pediatric cardiovascular surgery team that directly involves you and your family in treatment decisions, pays close attention to your family’s nonmedical needs and:

  • Brings together specialists from all departments to coordinate and implement new and innovative treatments for children’s heart and vascular conditions

  • Conducts groundbreaking research on hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with nationally renowned colleagues from across the United States and brings new methods for prevention, diagnosis and treatment to your care through participation in locally available clinical trials

  • Teaches the physicians of tomorrow for the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, which also gives you access to benchmark practice standards, innovative care and treatment methods, advanced technology and world-class research

  • Puts smiles on the faces of children and families during more than 10,000 outpatient visits each year

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