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Treatment

Pediatric Heart Surgery

What are the benefits of early primary repair in heart surgery for children?

At Children’s National, we plan treatments with your child’s long-term health in mind. If a newborn needs heart surgery, we intervene early and aggressively to correct defects. This way, the repair or reconstruction grows with your child and he or she benefits from a faster recovery. This approach is called early primary repair.

Many heart programs for children recommend waiting until a newborn is older before performing heart surgery. However, the longer we wait, the more health consequences a child may suffer. We perform surgery on infants so we can give them the best possible start in life:

  • More than two-thirds of cardiovascular surgeries we perform are on patients less than 1 year old
  • Half of those surgeries are on newborns less than 1 month old

Frequently Asked Questions

 

How will my child's doctors prevent brain injury during my child's heart surgery?

What resources for families are available during my child's heart surgery?

What are the highlights of pediatric heart surgery care at Children's National?

What should I expect before and after my child’s heart surgery procedure?

Contact Information

Cardiac Surgery at Children's National Hospital

The pediatric heart surgery team at Children's National Hospital performs twice the number of surgeries of any other hospital in the region, with some of the best outcomes in the nation. Discover more about the treatment we offer.

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PATIENT STORY

Providers of Heart Surgery

  • Jul 22, 2024

    Helping Maddie to Live Life to the Fullest

    Maddie is a lively, creative teen who loves to act. Research at Children's National Hospital helps to ensure that her rare disease doesn"t upstage her big theater plans or her love of life.

Departments that Offer Heart Surgery