Cardiothoracic Surgery

The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Heart Center is one of the largest pediatric heart centers in the country and the only nationally ranked pediatric cardiology and heart surgery program in Georgia.* Our team of cardiothoracic surgeons performs hundreds of heart surgeries for babies, kids and teens each year, more than anyone else in the state.** Skilled in treating all kinds of heart conditions—including some of the most rare and complex—our team delivers excellent surgical outcomes.** That’s why more parents trust us with their child’s heart than anyone else in Georgia. **

The Children’s Heart Center team is made up of experienced heart surgeons, cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologists, cardiac nurses, respiratory therapists and advanced practice providers who understand children—not just their hearts. Each is committed to providing a family-centered approach to care, and will guide you and your child through each stage of treatment to make your experience as seamless as possible.

Why choose the Children’s Heart Center?

If your child has been diagnosed with a heart condition, you can count on us to provide them with the comprehensive, quality care they deserve. This includes:

• Family-centered care

We offer a variety of educational resources to inform families and empower them to partner with us in their child’s care.

• Excellent surgical outcomes

We perform hundreds of heart surgeries annually, with excellent survival rates despite performing some of the most complex procedures.

• Comprehensive heart services

At Children’s, you have access to specialty heart care as well as a variety of support services to meet your family’s social and emotional needs. Our team will guide you through every stage of treatment, coordinating care to streamline your experience.

Each year, approximately 1% of babies in the U.S. are born with a congenital heart defect (CHD), also known as congenital heart disease. If your child has a CHD, they may need surgery within the first few years—or even days—of their life. Our surgeons are skilled in the latest proven operative techniques, with high volumes that are a testament to our team’s expertise in treating all kinds of heart problems in infants and children, from the more common to the most complex.

What pediatric heart conditions require surgery?

Some of the pediatric heart defects that may require surgery include:

• Coarctation of aorta
• Heart failure
• Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS)
• Tetralogy of Fallot
• Transposition of great arteries
• Truncus arteriosus
• Ventricle septal defect (VSD)

Which pediatric heart surgeries do Children’s cardiothoracic surgeons perform?

Our team is experienced in treating and repairing complex heart defects and conditions in the tiniest of hearts. Some of the most common heart procedures our team performs include:

• Arterial switch: The arterial switch procedure is an open heart surgery that switches an improperly connected pulmonary artery and aorta back to the correct location. The procedure may be used for transposition of the great arteries or other forms of heart disease in which the great arteries are rotated incorrectly.
• Surgeries for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)
• Norwood procedure: The Norwood procedure is the first in a series of three open heart surgeries performed on children with HLHS and other variants of single ventricle heart defects in which the left heart structures do not develop properly. This surgery redirects oxygen-rich blood from the right ventricle to the body rather than to the lungs.
• Glenn and Fontan procedures: The Glenn and Fontan procedures are done to redirect blood flow because one of the two ventricles cannot pump blood effectively. It may be weak, small or missing altogether. The Glenn and Fontan procedures allow blood to be routed directly to the lungs, leaving the working ventricle to pump blood to the body.
• Ross procedure: The Ross procedure replaces a narrowed or leaky aortic valve. First, the surgeon takes out the defective aortic valve and replaces it with the patient’s pulmonary valve. The new aortic valve allows the left ventricle to pump oxygen-rich blood to the body. The pulmonary valve is then replaced with a pulmonary valve from a deceased donor, which allows oxygen-poor blood to flow from the right ventricle into the pulmonary artery to the lungs.
• Heart transplant: A heart transplant is an open heart surgery performed when a child’s own heart muscle becomes too weak to pump enough blood through his body. A heart transplant replaces a diseased heart with a donor heart and pumps blood to the body and lungs.
• Intra-aortic balloon pump
• Device implantation
• Repair of tracheal defects, vascular rings and aortic abnormalities
• Trauma management to the heart, arteries and organs

Our team will guide you through every phase of your child’s treatment, providing you the information you need to make informed decisions and empowering you to partner with us in your child’s care.

If you’re pregnant with a baby who has a CHD or a heart condition, our partnership begins even before your baby arrives. Our Fetal Cardiology Program team will work closely with you and your doctors to create a delivery plan that is best for your baby and family.

How can I prepare before surgery day?

We want you to feel confident about your child’s treatment plan, and we encourage you to take time to prepare for surgery day by:

• Asking questions

We are here for your family and to answer any questions you have.

• Touring the facility

Touring the hospital before surgery can help ease concerns and help you understand what to expect.

• Participating in a simulation

If you’re expecting a baby who will need heart surgery after birth, we offer special simulations that have been shown to reduce anxiety in expecting parents. We offer simulations of both our Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) and Cardiac Acute Care Unit (CACU) to help you experience what it will be like after your baby has heart surgery. The simulation features a newborn-size doll that has all of the post-surgical tubes, wires, lines, drains and equipment that you will see in real life. You can hear the equipment sounds, learn the roles of each member of your child’s care team and ask questions.

At Children’s, your family is at the forefront of care. You are an integral part of the care team, and we will work with you to create plans that are right for your child.

We know that having a child in the hospital can be a stressful and difficult time. We have a team dedicated to helping you navigate the emotional, financial, familial and spiritual challenges, including:

• Chaplains
• Child life specialists
• Family experience liaisons
• Financial services
• Kids at Heart
• Social workers
• Psychologists

At the Heart Center, our Heart Surgery team is dedicated to the well-being and care of children of all ages—birth to age 21—who have been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. Each of our heart surgeons is certified by the American Board of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery with a subspecialty in congenital cardiothoracic surgery.

Cardiothoracic surgeons

• Paul Chai, MD, Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery; Co-Chief, Heart Center
• Subhadra Shashidharan, MD, Associate Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Joshua Rosenblum, MD, PhD
• Fawwaz Shaw, MD
• Mohan John, MD
• Kimberly Woodall, CPNP
• Melanie McBrayer, CPNP

Cardiac anesthesiologists

• Laura Downey, MD
• Michael Fiedorek, MD
• Stephanie Grant, MD
• Nina Guzzetta, MD, FAAP
• Anna Hartzog, MD
• Scott Kolesky, MD, PhD, FAAP
• Justin Long, MD, MHI, FAAP
• Bruce Miller, MD
• Katie Roddy, MD
• Steven Tosone, MD
• Elizabeth Wilson, MD