My Child Needs Open-Heart Surgery

Some children may need open-heart surgery to correct a heart defect in a child. This procedure allows the cardiothoracic surgeon to get access to the heart by opening up the chest. The child will be placed under anesthesia to complete this surgery.

• To open the chest, the surgeon needs to cut through the breast bone (sternum). This procedure is called a sternotomy. This can sound scary to parents, but the sternotomy is one of the safest and more comfortable incisions performed during surgery and is nothing more than an “artificial fracture.”
• After the chest is opened, a part of or all of the thymus gland is removed. The removal of the thymus is necessary to allow the surgeon to see and operate on the heart.
• To get access to the heart, the pericardial sac (the sac that the heart sits in) has to be opened.
• The surgeon often removes a small portion of the pericardium. The removed pericardial piece is used during the operation as patch material for a variety of holes or defects within the heart.
• Sometimes a piece of a synthetic material called Gore-Tex membrane is used to replace the used pericardium. Typically this is only done when the surgeon anticipates a repeat operation in the future.

After the surgery, your child will be taken to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) where he or she will be closely monitored. Your child’s cardiologist will speak to you about the surgery and the length of time your child will need to stay in the hospital.