Cardiovascular & thoracic surgery

Our team also provides surgical care for infants and children with congenital and acquired thoracic problems. These include problems such as chest deformities, lung malformations and tumors. 

We also provides surgical care for children with vascular malformations, trauma, and those requiring reconstructive surgery.

We work on completely correcting cardiac defects during infancy, managing complex univentricular heart defects, and doing research in pulmonary hypertension.

Since the program began, the overall success rate for pediatric cardiac surgery has consistently improved. Surgical outcomes for newborns, infants, and children with a wide range of congenital and acquired heart defects are on par with other leading cardiac surgical centres in North America. 

The Children’s Heart Centre team is dedicated to improving the overall quality of life of infants, children and adolescents with congenital heart disease. All children undergoing cardiovascular surgery receive medical follow-up by members of the cardiovascular surgery team to ensure optimal recovery and long-term outcomes. 

The care provided by the Cardiovascular Surgery Program includes continuous quality improvement strategies, a comprehensive patient database, and ongoing outcome evaluation.

Children’s Heart Centre is committed to providing the highest quality of care to children and infants with cardiovascular and thoracic disease, and to sharing its expertise and knowledge.

Cardiovascular perfusion

Children’s Heart Centre’s perfusion team uses state-of the-art equipment to support children requiring cardiovascular surgery. The program has developed novel techniques to improve the safety and outcomes of neonatal and infant cardiac surgery and to enhance patient recovery from cardiopulmonary bypass. 

During open-heart surgery the heart and lungs are not able to function without assistance and a heart-lung machine maintains blood pressure and oxygenation. Perfusion refers to the delivery and distribution of oxygenated blood to the tissue capillary bed. The blood is routed around the heart and lungs through the equipment and it is referred to as a cardiopulmonary bypass. This enables the surgical team to complete the cardiac repair without compromising the patient’s organ function.