Cardiac Surgeons in the Children’s Heart Center at MUSC Children’s Hospital specialize in repairing heart problems ranging from the relatively simple, to the most complex defects. Our comprehensive surgical service achieves outcomes among the best in the world (see results, below). We are dedicated to an individualized and customized approach to the care of each patient in an intimate, attentive environment. Since the institution of our pediatric cardiac program in the mid-1970’s, we have served as the only pediatric cardiac surgery center in the state of South Carolina. Due to an increasing number of referrals from inside and outside the state, the number of cardiac surgical procedures has steadily increased over the last 15 years. Each year, our surgeons now perform more than 300 major operations. Highlights of our Cardiac Surgery Program include: |
 | 30-day operative survival rate for all operations over the last 5 years of 99%. |
| Reconstructive surgery for congenital heart defects in children and adults. |
| Early complete cardiac repair in neonates and infants. |
| Surgical management of adult patients with congenital heart disease. |
| Innovative surgical techniques, including minimally invasive surgery, blood conservation, and low-prime cardiopulmonary bypass. |
| Avoidance of circulatory arrest by the use of selective brain perfusion during aortic surgery |
| Dedicated Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU). Our state-of-the-art 12-bed PCICU opened in 2005. It is specifically designed for the critical care of pediatric cardiac patients. Under the constant surveillance and management of a dedicated team of pediatric cardiac intensivists, surgeons, and nurses, our patients receive attentive care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. |
| Mechanical cardiac support program including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and ventricular assist devices (VADs). |
| First implantation of the Berlin Heart VAD to bridge a child to heart transplant in the Southeast United States. |
| Staged repair of hypoplastic left heart syndrome through a customized approach (Norwood/Sano, Glenn/hemi-Fontan, and lateral-tunnel/extracardiac conduit Fontan procedures). |
| Aortic and mitral valve repair. |
| Ross operation for aortic valve replacement. |
| Valve-sparing aortic root replacement for Marfan Syndrome. |
| Tetralogy of Fallot repair with pulmonary valve preservation. |
| Biventricular pacemaker and automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (AICD) implantation. |
| Clinical and basic science research to advance our knowledge and management of congenital heart disease |
