Pediatric Heart Surgery

Pediatric heart surgery may be performed to repair inborn and acquired heart defects that pose a threat to the child’s ability to thrive and grow. Pediatric cardiologists specialize in operations that are quite different than those performed on adults, and the small space in which they operate requires an added degree of manual dexterity. These highly trained physicians complete four years of medical school followed by a five-year residency in general surgery, a two- or three-year cardiothoracic residency, and between two and four years of additional training in pediatric heart surgery. They specialize in treating infants, adolescents and teens. Some of the more common congenital heart defects that pediatric heart surgeons address via corrective surgery include holes in the heart (such as an atrial septal defect), patent ductus arteriosus and defective or narrowed heart valves.