Cardiothoracic Surgery

A diagnosis of congenital heart disease is a life-changing experience. At the WVU Medicine Children’s Heart Center, we offer exceptional care. Our Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery Program is the only one of its kind in West Virginia. We deliver innovative heart procedures in a family-centered environment.

Your child’s heart is in the very best hands. Our highly skilled care teams are made up of cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologists, cardiac intensivists, advanced practice providers, nurses, perfusionists, and others. They work together to make sure every procedure is just right for every patient. You will meet with your child’s surgeon to help you understand your child’s heart condition and answer any questions about your child’s planned treatment.

Many congenital heart conditions require lifelong monitoring and treatment. Along with your child’s cardiologist, our goal is to help every patient lead the fullest life.

Conditions We Treat

Our team is very experienced in treating neonates, infants, children, and adults with congenital heart defects and diseases. We help with all of the following:

• Anomalous pulmonary venous (PAPVR or TAPVR): This condition prevents pulmonary veins from draining to the proper heart chamber.
• Aortopulmonary window: This rare heart defect creates a large, short connection between the aorta and the pulmonary artery.
• Atrial septal defect: One of the most common heart defects, ASD is a hole in the wall between the heart’s upper chambers, the atria.
• Atrioventricular canal defect: A combination of heart problems, this defect is marked by a large atrial septal defect and large ventricular septal defect.
• Chest masses: Benign and malignant masses in the chest cavity may be treated surgically.
• Coarctation of the aorta: Patients with this condition have a narrowing or blockage of the aorta causing high blood pressure and decreased blood flow to the lower body.
• Coronary artery anomalies: These are defects that affect the coronary arteries, due to the location where they form or the courses the arteries follow.
• Double outlet right ventricle (DORV): This defect occurs when both great vessels originate from the right ventricle, and includes a hole in the wall between the heart’s two lower chambers (ventricular septal defect).
• Double chambered right ventricle (DCRV: Patients with this heart defect are born with a narrow right ventricle that is divided into two chambers.
• Ebstein anomaly: Ebstein anomaly results from abnormal development of the heart’s tricuspid valve.

• Heart valve disordersHeart valve abnormalities disrupt blood flow between the heart’s four chambers. These include:

  • Atresia, or an undeveloped valve
  • Stenosis, or a narrowed valve
  • Regurgitation, which happens when a valve does not close properly.
• Interrupted or hypoplastic aortic arch: An interrupted aortic arch occurs when the heart’s main artery does not fully develop.
• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA): Patent ductus arteriosus occurs when a blood vessel connecting the pulmonary artery to the aorta fails to close after birth.
• Pulmonary atresia/ventricular septal defect/aortopulmonary collaterals (MAPCAs): These heart defects are caused by underdeveloped pulmonary arteries and abnormal vessels supplying the lungs with blood from the aorta.
• Single ventricle heart including hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS): A child born with HLHS has a heart with one pumping chamber. This condition requires a series of surgeries in the first few years of life (including the Norwood operation).
• Subaortic membrane: A subaortic membrane is a shelf of tissue that forms below the aortic valve, causing obstruction.
• Surgery for adult congenital heart disease (ACHD)

• Tetralogy of Fallot: This is a condition caused by a combination of four congenital heart defects, including:

  • Ventricular septal defect
  • Pulmonary valve stenosis
  • Enlarged right ventricle
  • Misplaced aorta
• Transposition of the great arteries (TGA): This heart defect is the result of the aorta and the pulmonary artery originating from the chamber opposite of the correct one. TGA is treated with an arterial switch operation (ASO).
• Tricuspid atresia: This condition occurs when the developed tricuspid valve does not develop, and can subsequently lead to a very small right ventricle.
• Truncus arteriosus: This heart defect a condition in which one large blood vessel arises from the heart instead of the normal two.
• Vascular rings and slings: Vascular rings and slings are a group of abnormalities of the aorta and its branches that can cause feeding or breathing problems.
• Ventricular septal defect (VSD): VSD is a hole in the wall between the heart’s lower chambers, the ventricles.

Treatments and Services

At the WVU Medicine Children’s Heart Center, we know that every heart is unique. We tailor each pediatric and adult congenital heart surgery we perform to the exact needs of each patient.

We care for most congenital heart and lung conditions. Each child’s case is reviewed by a multidisciplinary team to ensure the safest and best approach to each patient’s unique situation. We utilize cardiopulmonary bypass (heart-lung machine) to assist us in performing open heart surgery to repair the aforementioned defects.

Resources

Serving our community of patients

We work here, and we live here. We’re privileged to be the only pediatric cardiothoracic program in the state. West Virginia residents and people from all over the country come to the WVU Medicine Children’s Heart Center for the best pediatric and adult congenital heart care.

We offer:

• Child life specialists to guide your child through the emotional and psychological challenges of medical treatment
• Transportation services to help patients from other areas of the state get access to the treatments they need
• Referrals to accommodations at the Ronald McDonald House of Morgantown so you can be at your child’s bedside throughout their hospital stay

Interstage Monitoring Program

The Interstage Monitoring Program (ISMP) is a home monitoring system for infants born with single ventricle cardiac diseases. The system tracks babies’ conditions between their first and second surgeries as they recover at home.

Locations