Why Choose Us
Experts in pediatric heart surgery
At NewYork-Presbyterian, our smallest patients receive expert care from heart surgeons who are extraordinarily skilled at repairing a range of complex congenital heart disease (CHD) abnormalities including transposition of the great arteries, hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), tetralogy of Fallot, total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, and truncus arteriosus.
- NewYork-Presbyterian pediatric heart surgeons pioneered the innovative arterial switch procedure for infants born with transposition of the great arteries.
- Our pediatric cardiac surgeons have decades of experience performing the Norwood procedure and staged palliation for HLHS, with outcomes among the very best in the country.
- The first successful pediatric heart transplant was done in 1984 at NewYork-PresbyterianMorgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. We have remained the highest volume center in the nation for heart transplantation.
National leaders in pediatric hybrid heart surgery
NewYork-Presbyterian’s Congenital Heart Center is one of just a few U.S. centers to offer hybrid heart surgery to infants and children. Hybrid heart procedures combine conventional surgical methods with cardiac catheterization. Hybrid techniques are performed in a combined procedure with a cardiothoracic surgeon and an interventional cardiologist working side-by-side in the same operating room. These less invasive alternatives use a smaller incision through the breast bone or right chest, with the advantage of less pain, no need for a heart-lung machine, a faster return to normal activities, and a better cosmetic outcome.
Pioneers in innovative surgical techniques
NewYork-Presbyterian – in collaboration with our distinguished medical schools, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Weill Cornell Medicine – builds on the strengths of its many clinical and scientific accomplishments to provide advanced care for patients with congenital heart disease:
- Leaders in the care of babies born with a single ventricle including the creation of a patient-specific approach to determine the first of three reconstructive surgeries (Norwood, Hybrid Stage I, or primary transplant) and transitional care from infancy to childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood
- Expertise performing the hybrid surgical approach for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and one of a few centers in the U.S. to establish a formal pediatric hybrid program
- Leaders in treating low-birthweight infants that require early surgical or transcatheter interventions including those with complications involving either a ventricular septal defect or aortic arch anomalies
- Expertise in managing highly sensitized pediatric heart transplant patients
- Established the first cardiac ICU in the nation exclusively dedicated to the care of newborn infants with congenital heart disease
Expanding the latest 3D imaging technology for preoperative planning
NewYork-Presbyterian’s imaging experts are increasingly using 3D imaging technology—including 3D printing—to create unique patient-specific models for guidance before surgical interventions for pediatric patients with congenital heart disease and heart failure. In 2020, we expanded the use of this technology to create 3D models for prenatal counseling, aiming to improve parental understanding of their child’s congenital heart defects. Our imaging experts are involved in studies that explore the utility of 3D printed models for preoperative planning of heart surgery and ventricular assist device (VAD) placement in patients with congenital heart disease and heart failure.
Recognized for High Standards of Care
- Tri-state area’s largest referral center for babies born with congenital heart disease
- Listed as a high-volume center by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons
- Reports quality outcomes to Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the IMPACT Registry
- Only ECMO program in the tri-state area designated a Platinum Center of Excellence by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization
- Designated as a Regional Perinatal Center by the State of New York, the highest hospital classification level
- Designated a CCF-Accredited Center of Care by the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation
- Accredited by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association as an Accredited Pediatric Center of Comprehensive Care
- Recognized as an official Pediatric Marfan Center by the Marfan Foundation
- Highest volume Pediatric Heart Transplant center in the nation