Pediatric Cardiovascular Treatment and Procedures

The Heart Institute at Nicklaus Children's Hospital offers the most advanced techniques for the surgical management of pediatric cardiovascular problems. Bringing together a select group of world-renowned cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons whose teamwork has contributed to the development of many new treatments and surgical techniques including minimally invasive management of pediatric congenital heart Disease.

Post operative and follow-up care is streamlined by using an integrated computer database management system. All patients are supported as needed by Nicklaus Children's caring, dedicated Pediatric CICU team.

By providing the kind of personal care which puts each child at the center of a team medical effort, the Nicklaus Children's Hospital Heart Institute has worked miracles for critically ill children and provided calming relief to distressed families.

Advanced Cardiac Services Include:

Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder

The Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder is a treatment for the congenital heart defect known as patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).

Anomalous Coronary Artery Repair

Anomalous coronary artery repair is a surgery performed to repair a heart problem known as anomalous left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery.

Aortic Valve Replacement

Aortic valve replacement is a surgery to remove and replace the heart’s aortic valve. This may be needed if the valve leaks (aortic regurgitation) or has a narrow opening (aortic stenosis).

Atrial Septal Defect Repair

Your child may need atrial septal defect (ASD) repair if they have a hole between the two upper chambers of their heart. During ASD surgery, the physician sews a patch into the heart to close the hole.

Balloon and Stent Angioplasty

Balloon angioplasty is a non-surgical procedure used to restore the flow of blood through blocked or narrow vessels. It is performed using a catheter, is less invasive than surgery, and in some instances more effective, such as in vessels that cannot be easily reached by the surgeon.

Balloon Angioplasty and Stent Angioplasty for Coarctation of the Aorta

When feasible, a balloon angioplasty with or without stent angioplasty is a medical procedure that can help restore the flow of blood to the lower extremities.

Balloon Valvuloplasty

Balloon valvuloplasty is a medical procedure that is used to try to correct a heart valve that is either stiff or narrow by using a balloon to widen the valve opening.

Bidirectional Glenn Procedure

Bidirectional Glenn procedure is one in a series of surgeries performed to get a sufficient amount of blood to the lungs. It is needed when one of the heart’s ventricles doesn’t work well.

Biventricular Repair

If a child is born with some forms of single ventricle heart defects, which cause the lower chambers of the heart to not work correctly, then a biventricular repair is a potential surgical treatment for them in some cases.

Cardiovascular surgery

A variety of surgical procedures which aim to repair or reconstruct congenital heart defects. Our team has developed innovative and minimally invasive techniques with outstanding surgical outcomes.

Coarctation Repair

Coarctation of the aorta is a when a portion or segment of the aorta is narrowed and restricts the flow of blood to the body. Coarctation repair is a surgery performed to repair the aorta.

Complete Atrioventricular Canal Repair

A complete atrioventricular canal defect is a birth defect in which the heart doesn’t develop properly. It’s characterized by a hole in the center of the heart that allows blood from all four chambers to mix and not flow through the heart properly. Complete atrioventricular (AV) canal repair is a surgery to fix this defect.

Cone Repair

Cone repair is a surgical technique used to correct Ebstein anomaly by reconstructing the tricuspid valve.

Croissant Tricuspid Valve Repair

A croissant tricuspid valve repair is a novel surgical procedure that can repair the tricuspid valve in some cases and allow the child’s heart to pump blood more efficiently.

Device Implants

Device implants refers to the medical procedure required to implant a device that regulates and/or monitors the heart rate and rhythm.

Diaphragm Plication

Diaphragm plication is a surgical procedure to lower and repair the diaphragm.

En Bloc Rotation

En bloc rotation of the outflow tracts is a surgical procedure that can be used to correct some complex cases of transposition of the great arteries (TGA) .

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Therapy

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy is an emergency medical treatment for very ill babies/children who often need a heart and/or lung support. It involves circulating blood out of the body, through an artificial lung for oxygenation and back into the body.

Fontan Procedure

Fontan procedure is a heart surgery used to correct single ventricle type heart defects in children.

Heart Catheterization

Heart catheterization is a medical procedure that determines how well your heart is working.

Heart Valve Replacement Surgery

Heart valve surgery is used to repair or replace damaged or diseased heart valves. A common precursor to heart valve surgery is heart valve disease, which happens when a heart valve does not close completely, which can cause blood to flow backwards, limit blood flowing forward, cause chest pains, shortness of breath, fainting, or heart failure.

Interrupted aortic arch repair

Interrupted aortic arch repair is a surgical procedure to fix interrupted aortic arch (IAA). IAA is a heart defect in which the aorta is incomplete.

Ligation of collateral vessels

Collateral vessels are abnormally large blood vessels that connect the aorta to the pulmonary artery, and are usually associated with a congenital abnormality of the heart. The process of closing these collateral vessels off is called ligation of collateral vessels.

Loop Recorder Implantation

A loop recorder is a device that measures the heart’s electrical activity. It activates if the heart rate gets too low or too high and begins to record the heart rate.

MAPCAs Unifocalization

Unifocalization is a complex surgical procedure that treats major aortopulmonary collateral arteries.

Nikaidoh Procedure

Nikaidoh procedure is an arterial switch procedure that can be used to correct transposition of the great arteries with ventricular septal defect and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction.

Norwood Procedure

Norwood procedure is a cutting-edge three-step surgery that corrects HLHS with a good success rate.

Ozaki Procedure for Heart Valve Repair

The Ozaki procedure is a potential treatment to replace a malfuncitioning valve and make it function correctly.

Pacemaker and Automatic Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Therapy (AICD)

A pacemaker and implanted internal defibrillator are devices implanted in the chest to control the heart rate. A pacemaker keeps the heart rate steady with electrical pulses if you have arrhythmia, the implanted internal defibrillator shocks the heart when the rhythm becomes dangerous.

PAPVR Repair

Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) is a heart defect that is sometimes present at birth, in which one or two of the pulmonary veins of the heart drain blood into the right atrium instead of the left atrium. PAPVR repair is a surgery performed to fix the problem.

Partial Heart Transplantation

A partial heart transplantation is an innovative treatment option for selected infants and children with certain congenital heart defects affecting the heart valves. It involves replacing diseased valves with living and healthy donor valves.

Patent Ductus Arteriosus Ligation

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a heart defect that’s present at birth. PDA ligation is a procedure to repair this problem.

Pediatric Pacemaker Implantation

A child may need a pediatric pacemaker if he or she has an abnormal heartbeat.

Pericardial Window

The body’s heart is enclosed in a protective covering called a sac. The sac has two layers with fluid between them that reduce friction as the heart beats. When too much fluid builds up between the layers, this can cause a variety of problems. Pericardial window is a procedure to remove this excess fluid.

Pulmonary Artery Catheterization

Pulmonary artery catheterization is a procedure where a long thin flexible tube called a catheter is inserted into a blood vein in the groin area of a leg and guided into the right side of the heart to the pulmonary arteries. It is done to diagnose or treat a number of heart conditions.

Pulmonary Heart Valve Replacement with the SAPIEN™

The Edwards Lifesciences SAPIEN™ transcatheter heart valve replaces a leaky or narrow pulmonary valve. The implant itself is made from a portion of a cow’s vein, and has a wire frame for support.

Pulmonary Valve Replacement with the Harmony Transcatheter Valve

The Harmony Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve is the first FDA-approved valve that offers older children and adults in need of pulmonary valve replacement.

Radiofrequency energy to treat heart rhythm abnormalities and disturbances.

Radiofrequency energy refers to the use of special electricity or radio waves to disrupt the abnormal electrical activity of heart muscle.

REV Procedure

The REV procedure is a surgical operation used to repair certain complex congenital heart defects, most commonly transposition of the great arteries (TGA) or double outlet right ventricle (DORV) associated with a ventricular septal defect (VSD) and pulmonary stenosis.

Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Reconstruction

RVOT reconstruction is a surgical repair of the RVOT. Frequently, a pulmonary valve will also need to be replaced as part of the reconstruction of the heart.

Ross Procedure

Ross procedure is a surgery to repair a damaged aortic valve. The aortic valve is responsible for pumping blood from the heart out to the body.

Ross-Konno Procedure

Ross-Konno procedure, also known as a pulmonary autograft, is a surgery to repair a damaged aortic valve. This procedure is an open-heart surgery done under general anesthesia and cardiopulmonary bypass.

Staged Heart Septation

Staged heart septation is a surgical approach used to treat selected children with complex congenital heart defects, particularly those with a double-inlet left ventricle (DILV) or double-inlet right ventricle (DIRV).

Standard balloon angioplasty and cutting balloon angioplasty

Angioplasty is a medical procedure that’s used to open up narrow or blocked arteries or other blood vessels. Standard balloon angioplasty and cutting balloon angioplasty are two unique variations of angioplasty that are used for different problems and patients.

Subaortic Membrane Resection

Subaortic membrane resection is a surgery that’s used to repair a medical condition known as subaortic stenosis. With subaortic stenosis, the area just below the aortic valve of the left ventricle is obstructed or narrowed often by excess tissue, which reduces the flow of blood to the body.

Tetralogy of Fallot Repair

Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a heart defect present at birth. TOF consists of four different heart abnormalities: a ventricular septal defect, overriding aorta, pulmonary stenosis and right ventricular hypertrophy.

Thrombolysis

Thrombolysis is a treatment that can break up blood clots lodged in veins. Doing so can prevent the clots from potentially causing heart attacks or strokes later on.

Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return Repair

Total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR) is a heart defect sometimes present at birth. With it, the four pulmonary veins that are supposed to bring blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart instead bring it to the right atrium. TAPVR repair is a surgery to correct the defect.

Transcatheter and Hybrid Ventricular Septal Defect Closure

A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is an opening in the heart between the left and right ventricles that should not be there. It is one of the most common heart-related birth defects. Transcatheter ventricular septal defect closure is a potential method to fix the problem (close the hole) in some specific types of VSDs.