Clinics for the treatment of pediatric cardiac surgery

The heart’s main role is to pump blood through blood vessels. The movement of blood is called hemodynamics. If the heart does not work properly because of illness, hemodynamics are disrupted. This can lead to the development of related diseases, severe complications, and even death.

Even if the heart is contracting correctly, at the right pace and rhythm, the chambers and vessels of the heart may not be positioned correctly. This also leads to impaired blood circulation.

In these cases, experts consider cardiac surgery.

• Fallot tetrad;
• Iatrial and ventricular septal defect;
• Mitral stenosis;
• Aortic stenosis;
• Aortic coarctation;
• Open arterial duct;
• Congenital arrhythmias.

Doctors perform operations on newborn children, teenagers and adults. Internationally, they prefer minimally invasive surgeries without full opening of the chest.

The total length of stay is 3-4 weeks. During this time, the child will be examined, an operation will be performed, and rehabilitation measures will be carried out. After discharge, the child’s condition is monitored for two weeks.

To choose a medical center, you need to consider such factors:

• The presence of a specialized cardiac surgery center for children. Also, other subspecialists are involved in the treatment of such patients. That’s why it’s important for the hospital to be multi-specialty;
• International accreditations and certifications confirm that the hospital has all the resources it needs to provide quality care;
• To provide quality diagnosis and necessary treatment the hospital must be equipped with all necessary equipment: angiography and cardiovascular machines, CT, MRI, etc.

Heart surgery is a serious decision. Before an intervention is performed, specialists will thoroughly examine the child. The doctor may order one of the following tests:

• An examination and consultation with subspecialists: cardiologist, cardiac surgeon, neonatologist, nephrologist, etc.;
• Electrocardiogram;
• Cardiac ultrasound;
• Doppler-enhanced vascular ultrasound;
• Angiography;
• Study of the heart at rest and with exercise;
• Chest radiography.

Ross surgery

Normally, the human heart has valves that prevent blood from flowing back when the ventricle contracts. When the left ventricle of the heart contracts, oxygenated blood spreads through the aorta and then through the vascular system and throughout the body.

The heart’s aortic valve may be severely narrowed or not fully functional. In the first case, doctors speak of stenosis and in the second, insufficiency of the aortic valve.

During Ross surgery, the surgeon exchanges the affected aortic valve for the patient’s pulmonary valve. A donor valve is inserted in place of the pulmonary valve.

For children, Ross surgery is the «gold standard» treatment for aortic valve stenosis and insufficiency. The child’s own pulmonary valve grows with the child. At the same time, it is not necessary to take blood thinners every day.

Annuloplasty

To eliminate the backflow of blood, regurgitation, the doctor performs a special operation that strengthens the muscular framework of the heart valve and eliminates the return of blood into the heart chambers.

Abroad, the operation is performed minimally invasively, through a small incision in the chest — lateral thoracotomy.

Correcting mitral valve stenosis

The mitral, or bicuspid heart valve, prevents blood from the left ventricle from flowing back into the left atrium during heart contraction.

The bicuspid valve can be severely narrowed due to congenital abnormalities or other diseases. This is called stenosis of the mitral valve. In foreign medical centers, this can be done in the first days of a child’s life.

The procedure is done without cutting or damaging healthy tissue. A thin tube is inserted into a blood vessel and brought to the mitral valve. A balloon is inflated at the end of the tube to remove the stenosis and widen the lumen. This procedure is called a mitral valvuloplasty.

If your child needs heart surgery, we can choose a specialized medical center for you.

Leave an application on MedTour platform — our medical coordinator will contact you, take a detailed anamnesis, review medical documentation and help with the selection of the clinic.

We help with airfare, transfers and accommodation close to the hospital. Our services are free for all patients.