Heart and Chest (Thoracic) Surgery
Being told your child needs heart surgery is never easy. And while your child is in exceptional hands, we understand that it's still a difficult time filled with questions and concerns. We want to help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety by walking you through the surgical process, explaining what you can expect, telling you more about our program, and sharing resources you might find helpful.
Your child's surgical team will provide you with additional information along the way—information that is specific to your child's care.
Types of Heart Surgery
For some heart diseases and abnormalities, the best course of treatment is surgery. Surgical procedures generally are classified as closed-heart or open-heart. Pacemaker implantation also is considered a minor surgical procedure.Open-Heart Surgery—Open-heart surgery includes any procedure in which the heart is literally opened. This requires the heart to be cooled down and the beating stopped, while a heart-lung bypass machine takes over the job of pumping oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body.
Closed-Heart Surgery—In closed-heart surgeries, it is still necessary to open the chest, but not to stop the heart or use the heart-lung bypass machine. Most closed-heart procedures deal with major blood vessels, such as the aorta or pulmonary arteries. Common closed-heart surgeries include aortic coarctation repair, “shunt” operations to increase blood flow to the lungs, vascular ring division, patent ductus arteriosus ligation or division, and pulmonary artery repair.
Chest (Thoracic) Surgery
If your child needs chest surgery, one of the best ways you can help your child is to be informed. These pages will help you learn all you can about the process and what you, your family and your child can expect. You can learn about the different types of chest surgery, what you'll need to bring to the hospital, and how to make the post-operative process easier for you and your child.
Types of Chest Surgery
- Minimally invasive repair of Pectus Excavatum
- Repair of Diaphragmatic Hernia
- Repair of Tracheoesophageal Fistula
- Removal of Chest Wall Tumor/Mass
- Resection of Congenital Lung Anomalies
- Repair of Pectus Carinatum
In certain chest surgeries, Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery allows the surgeon to perform the operation through two to four small (3-5mm) chest incisions with the help of a special small camera and operating instruments placed inside the chest. This approach may provide a more comfortable and rapid recovery