Infants and children who require heart surgery need to be cared for by a team of highly trained specialists in a place that is designed to meet their needs. Our heart surgeons at RCHI offer a system of care that embraces the special needs of infants, children, and teens, as well as their families. The pediatric heart surgical program includes teams of pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons, pediatric cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologist, neonatologist, intensivist, perfusionist, nursing and paramedical staff. These RCHI teams are extensively trained to offer the best medical care for your child before, during, and after surgery.

Various Surgical Programs Offered by RCHI:

Neonatal Heart Surgery Program: Neonates, i.e., newborns are very high risk to undergo heart surgery as their organs are still immature; however, some congenital heart diseases need intervention immediately after birth for the survival of the baby. DTGA with intact ventricular septum, TGA+VSD, TGA, PDA, TOF with pulmonary atresia (Duct dependent circulation), HLHS, Such patients need surgeries in neonatal period.

Our cardiothoracic surgeons are experienced in performing such surgeries with best results. Post operatively, neonates are likely to stay in the NICU. We have the best team of pediatric intensivists managing post op period of neonates. Single Ventricle Heart Surgical Program: All congenital heart diseases cannot be cured. Such heart diseases require palliative surgery. HLHS, Tricuspid atresia, Unbalanced AVCD, DORV with non-routable VSD are the conditions which need single ventricle repair

Single ventricle repair is done in three stages as the child grows:

• BT Shunt or PA Banding
• Bidirectional Glenn Shunt
• Fontan Operation

Children of single ventricle repair grow nearly normal as any other child. Complex Congenital Heart Diseases: Complex congenital heart diseases like TGA, DORV, interrupted aortic arch, coarctation of aorta need different approach. Our surgical team is highly efficient to perform complex heart surgeries with best results. Our surgeons have performed complex procedures like that on a 1.4 kg child with diagnosis of DTGA who underwent Arterial switch operation. The lowest weighing child to undergo such a complex heart surgery in the world.

Valve Repair/Replacement in children and adolescents:

Some children with congenital heart diseases may have narrowing of valves or leak of valves, such conditions are mitral, aortic and tricuspid valve stenosis/regurgitation. In such children valve replacement is not possible and repair of valve needs to be performed. Our surgical team is highly experienced in performing repair of valves either by intervention or surgical repair. Our team has performed mitral valve repair on a 2.2 kg sick child successfully.

At RCHI, the following treatments and procedures are possible:

• Congenital heart surgeries in the young
• Valve repair surgeries in congenital and acquired heart disease
• Palliative surgeries for univentricular heart
• Complex congenital heart surgeries in newborn and in the young
  • Arterial switch operation (ASO) for transposition of the great arteries
  • Repair of truncus arteriosus
  • Repair of interrupted aortic arch
  • Repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVC)
  • Norwood operation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome