Pediatric cardiovascular surgery

Many children born with a severe congenital heart defect will require surgery to treat or repair the defect. We have the best pediatric heart surgeons in Chicago – with the experience and skill to treat people of all ages from birth through adolescents and adults.

We’re here to treat and manage a wide variety of heart defects from the most common to the most complex all while keeping your needs in mind.

When would your child need pediatric cardiac surgery?

The reasons to perform heart surgery vary, depending largely on your child’s diagnosis and health. While we always consider less invasive treatments first, surgery may provide the best option. Using the latest techniques and technology, we perform even the most complex surgeries to:

Prevent mild conditions from becoming more severe
Correct procedures early in life to improve heart function
Perform immediate surgery for children with heart failure
Improve the heart’s structure to help blood flow and improve physiology
Stage surgeries over time to fix problems as your child’s heart grows

A cardiac surgery team member will call you to arrange a consultation with the surgeon, a preoperative appointment and the surgery date.

The consultation with the surgeon can be virtual or in person. The surgeon will discuss the surgical procedure and risks and the benefits of the surgery. This meeting may be overwhelming for some children, so it's not necessary for your child to attend.

The preoperative appointment will be a few days before the surgery and will take about two to three hours. The child and at least one parent need to attend this visit, which will be in the outpatient care clinic on the first floor of the Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn. You’ll meet with a nurse practitioner (NP) who will perform a history and physical and will provide additional education regarding the surgical process. Your child also will have testing performed including a chest X-ray and blood draw.

The NP will provide you with special wipes for use on your child’s skin the evening before surgery as well as instructions for bathing [PDF] and infection prevention [PDF]. Patients over age 18 can meet with a chaplain to complete a healthcare power of attorney at the preoperative appointment or the day of surgery.

The day before surgery, the surgery nurse will call you with instructions about:

Timing of procedure, including when you should arrive at the hospital
When your child should stop eating or drinking before the procedure
When your child should stop taking medications
Where to park and enter the building

It’s recommended that children have a dental exam within six months prior to heart surgery and all dental needs have been completed by the dentist prior to surgery. Your cardiologist or the surgery team can provide a recommendation for a pediatric dentist if needed.

Your child may need to receive blood products during and/or after surgery. All donor blood is screened. Designated donor blood is optional. If parents want to donate blood for their child, it will need to be donated within a certain time frame prior to the surgery, usually about a week. When scheduling surgery, please let the surgery team know if you want to donate blood. The surgery team will notify American Red Cross. American Red Cross will call the parents to arrange for the blood donation.

On the day of the procedure, you’ll arrive at the hospital about two hours before the surgery time. You’ll be directed to the Day Surgery suite. You will meet with the surgeon, the surgical nurse and the pediatric cardiac anesthesiology team members. You will sign the surgical and blood consent forms. You can wait with your child until they go into surgery.

During surgery you can wait in the surgery waiting room. The cardiac ICU nurse will update you every one and half to two hours. You will move to the ICU waiting room when the surgery is finished. Following surgery, the surgeon will discuss the operation and you’ll be able to see your child.

Your child will go to a private room in the pediatric ICU, which is staffed 24/7 by pediatric cardiac intensivists. You’re welcome to stay with your child during their stay.

Our pediatric ICU doctors specialize in heart-related intensive care, a crucial step after surgery. Because most of our doctors are specialists in both pediatric cardiology and pediatric cardiac critical care, your child is in capable hands that will help smooth the path to recovery.

There are twice daily patient rounds by the ICU team, which includes the attending physician, nurse practitioner, pediatric cardiology fellows, bedside nurse, respiratory therapist, pharmacist and nutritionist. You’re encouraged to be present during medical rounds for your child.

Once your child recovers from surgery, they may be transferred from the ICU to a regular room for a few days before being sent home. Our pediatric specialists and specially trained pediatric nurses will continue to monitor your child’s condition throughout their recovery.

How long your child stays in the hospital depends on the complexity of the operation, but most kids go home within three to 10 days. Newborns with complex heart surgery usually stay at the hospital two to four weeks after surgery.

The discharge nurse will provide you with education regarding pain control, wound care, follow up appointments, and when to call with any concerns or questions.

Typically your child will be sent home when:

They’re medically ready for discharge
Have good pain control
Able to get enough daily nutritional requirements
You’re comfortable providing home care for your child

Supporting families

We know that surgery can be stressful for both your child and your family. That’s where our Child Life specialists can help by providing services to support your family during this challenging time.

Our services include:

Private hospital tours
Connecting your child with children who had heart surgery at Advocate Children’s Hospital to learn about the experience from a peer. This may help your child feel more empowered about their upcoming surgery.
If you’re pregnant and your baby is likely to require surgery in early life, we also can connect you with parents who have gone through your baby’s exact operation.
A place to stay for families who don’t live in the area. We’re one of the few hospitals in the south suburbs of Chicago to have a Ronald McDonald House on campus.

Why choose Advocate Children’s Hospital?

We provide child-centered care and access to doctors from all kinds of specialties. When you come to Advocate Children’s Hospital, you can expect:

Nationally recognized service: We consistently rank in the top 25 in the nation for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery.
Safe and effective heart surgery: We meet or exceed national survival rates for pediatric heart surgery. We also have considerably shorter average hospital stays for simple and complex procedures. Learn more about our pediatric heart surgery results.
Innovative care: We offer innovative solutions for even the most complex congenital heart problems, in particular for newborns and infants. With the region’s only portable heart and lung support (ECMO), we can also help transfer your child when they need our higher-level care.
Innovative research: Working with our partners at the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital, we use translational research to bring the scientific discoveries of the laboratory to the bedside for your child. One such effort involves researchers using the child's own cells to use tissue engineering and 3-D bioprinting to grow blood vessels and cardiac tissue for them.
Unique expertise: Children with connective tissue disorders and aortic aneurysms and/or mitral valve disease are referred to our center because of our track record and reputation with valve-sparing aortic root replacement and mitral valve intervention.
Sophisticated, dedicated facilities: Our Oak Lawn campus features a state-of-the-art dedicated pediatric cardiac ICU (PCICU) for pediatric heart surgery patients. Having dedicated operating rooms and staff means we can meet any urgent need of the child with heart disease.