Pediatric Complex Heart Valve Program

Get second opinions from our pediatric heart valve experts

We provide second opinions for families of children diagnosed with heart valve conditions. Doctors and providers who have patients with these conditions can also contact us for second opinions and answers to questions.

Please contact us anytime, and we’ll respond within one business day to answer your questions and provide more information. Contact the pediatric heart valve team via:

• Email at PediCVTSSurgeryScheduling@UTsouthestern.edu

• Phone at 214-456-5000

• Fax at 214-456-5015

Leaders in advanced pediatric heart valve care

Heart specialists (cardiologists) across North Texas and neighboring states refer their patients to our expert team. Our program includes some of the most experienced pediatric heart valve experts in the country. All children who come to us receive exceptional care from our dedicated multidisciplinary team, including:

• Heart surgeons who perform open-heart and minimally invasive surgeries that use smaller cuts (incisions), when possible

• Interventional cardiologists who perform catheter procedures, which use long, thin tubes to access the heart for treatment

• Imaging cardiologists who perform cardiac imaging to help plan treatment

• Cardiologists who provide nonsurgical care to manage your child’s long-term health

• Cardiac critical care specialists who take care of your child in the cardiac intensive care unit before and after surgery

• Acute care specialists who take care of your child as you prepare to take them home after their hospital stay

We bring together expertise from multiple heart specialties in weekly and monthly meetings to review each child’s case and develop personalized treatment plans. This close collaboration leads to care that may reduce the number of surgeries your child will need and avoid the need for blood thinners, too.

Research-driven heart valve procedures that improve children’s outcomes

With our expertise in the latest, evidence-based surgeries and minimally invasive procedures, we’re able to offer children life-changing treatment options for complex heart valve diseases. Our outcomes for heart valve repair and replacement procedures are among the best in the country. With these procedures, our team achieves a nearly 100% survival rate overall, and the success rate for repairs is more than 95%.

Our pediatric heart surgeons, cardiologists and other specialists are also researchers dedicated to improving the health of children with complex heart valve diseases. Our research aims to develop new and improved diagnostic tools and treatment options.

Among our current research projects is tissue valve engineering that could grow leaflets (the flaps of a heart valve) on a framework that the body later absorbs. This innovation will allow doctors to replace parts of a valve using a child’s own tissue, avoiding the need for blood thinners and future valve replacements.

Comprehensive follow-up care and support services until your child reaches adulthood

Our team provides comprehensive care for newborns through young adults before, during and after heart surgery. We use medications and other treatments to help your child go into surgery as healthy as possible.

After the surgery or procedure, our pediatric heart surgeons and cardiologists see your child regularly to help keep their repaired or replaced heart valves working as they should. With regular monitoring, our team can detect problems with a heart valve as early as possible so your child can quickly receive care.

Children who have heart valve diseases may need additional care for other health needs. Our heart valve team can coordinate your child’s care with other specialists at Children’s Health, including:

• Pediatric Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic for children who may have certain genetic conditions that cause heart valve diseases

• Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program with pediatric neuropsychologists who support your child’s thinking (cognitive) and emotional development

• Nutrition services with registered dietitians who specialize in working with children who have heart diseases

• Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program for adults who have been living with structural heart conditions since birth

• Cardiac Catheterization Program to treat children using minimally invasive procedures that need only small nicks to access blood vessels

• Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit to care for critically ill children before and after heart surgery and minimally invasive procedures

• Congenital Coronary Anomaly Program to provide specialized care for children who have conditions affecting coronary (heart) arteries

• Pediatric Connective Tissue Disorders Program for specialized care for children who have aortic conditions due to a connective tissue disorder

• Complex Biventricular Repair Program for complex reconstructive surgery to repair heart chambers that didn’t form properly in children before birth

• Pediatric Heart Failure Clinic to provide treatment, including heart transplant, for children whose hearts don’t work as they should

• Pediatric Electrophysiology Program to provide specialized care for children who have irregular heart rhythms and rates (arrhythmias)

• Pulmonary Hypertension Program to treat children who have high blood pressure in the lungs and the conditions that cause it

At the Heart Center at Children’s Health℠, our Complex Heart Valve Program takes care of children who have structural issues affecting their heart valves. Children with these severe heart conditions need care from specialists who have extensive training and experience. Our skilled team specializes in advanced open-heart surgery and minimally invasive procedures.

Our goal is to help your child have the best possible heart health while reducing their need for multiple surgeries and lifelong blood-thinning medications. Whenever possible, we choose treatment options that repair your child’s heart valve, rather than replace it. A repaired valve will grow with your child, reducing the need for later surgery to implant larger valves. Heart valve repair also avoids the need for blood thinners and reduces the risk of infection and other complications.

For some children, heart valve replacement is the most appropriate treatment. Our pediatric heart team excels in open and minimally invasive approaches for replacing heart valves. We also take part in research that helps advance the development of new, improved types of replacement heart valves. And we bring the latest research into our patient care – so your child receives the most advanced treatments available.