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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

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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

Ashley's Story

Ashley

Providers of Heart Surgery

Departments that Offer Heart Surgery

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Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

Our pediatric heart surgery team performs twice the number of surgeries of any other hospital in the region, with some of the best outcomes in the nation.

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Children's National Heart Center

Our expert pediatric heart team, including more than 40 subspecialties, offer advanced heart care and excellent outcomes for thousands of children every year.

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Advanced Cardiac Therapies and Heart Transplant Program

We provide personalized care for babies and children with heart failure, including advanced VAD techniques and heart transplantation.