Cardiac Surgery Department

When a child is diagnosed with a heart condition, parents are often at a loss. Is surgery needed? How dangerous is it? Where can you find specialists you can trust with what matters most?

At the Cardiac Surgery Department of the Children's National Medical Center, we diagnose and surgically treat congenital and acquired heart disease in children — from newborns to teenagers. Here, a child is supported at every stage: from the first consultation and examination to surgery, recovery and follow-up care.

What conditions do we treat?

Our specialists help children with a wide range of congenital and acquired heart diseases, including:

• congenital heart defects
• atrial and ventricular septal defects
• heart valve disorders
• structural abnormalities of the blood vessels
• complex and combined cardiovascular conditions

A special focus of the department is surgical care for newborns and young children, including those with critical heart defects, when help is needed in the very first days of life.

We always consider less invasive treatment first

Not every heart problem requires open surgery.

At our Center, cardiac surgeons and cardiologists first assess whether a minimally invasive (closed) procedure is possible, in which treatment is performed through the blood vessels without a large incision in the chest. These methods help the child recover faster and shorten the hospital stay.

If a closed technique is not possible or not sufficient, open-heart surgery is performed using modern equipment and cardiopulmonary bypass systems.

The decision is made individually for each child — after a full examination and a discussion of the case by a team of specialists.

A team approach — when doctors make decisions together

Heart disease in children rarely calls for the work of just one doctor.

In the department, each child is cared for by a team of specialists: pediatric cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists and intensive care specialists. This is especially important in complex cases, in newborns and in children with several coexisting conditions.

This approach helps to prepare the child thoroughly for surgery, reduce risks and choose the safest treatment strategy.

How does treatment work?

1. Consultation with a cardiologist or cardiac surgeon — the doctor reviews the complaints, medical history and test results
2. Diagnostics — if needed, the child is examined right at the Center: ECG, echocardiography, CT, MRI, laboratory tests and other examinations
3. Choosing the treatment strategy — the team of specialists decides whether surgery is required, whether a minimally invasive procedure is possible, or whether observation is enough for now
4. Surgery and treatment — when needed, surgical treatment is performed using modern expert-class equipment
5. Post-operative follow-up and rehabilitation — the child remains under specialist supervision, and parents receive detailed recovery recommendations

Why do parents choose our Center?

The Cardiac Surgery Department of the Children's National Medical Center offers:

• more than 1,000 operations a year
• experience in managing complex and rare cases
• treatment of children from the first days of life
• both minimally invasive and open-heart surgery
• modern equipment for cardiac monitoring and complex procedures
• a multidisciplinary approach in which decisions are made by a team of doctors
• a complete cycle of diagnostics, treatment and follow-up in one place

We understand how worrying a diagnosis related to a child's heart can be. That is why our goal is not only to provide treatment, but also to make sure parents understand every stage, feel supported and know that their child is in safe hands.