The cardiothoracic surgery program at Manning Family Children’s is
one of the most successful in the entire country. The Heart Center is
a nationally recognized leader in the diagnosis and treatment of patients
with heart conditions. A major contributor to our high success rate is
the long-term monitoring we provide patients after they leave the operating
room. Patients are provided with round-the-clock care from cardiac intensivists,
nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals until they are ready
to return home. In case of an emergency, our transport team is ready 24/7
to transport patients to another facility should the need arise.
Surgical services designed for children
Manning Family Children’s has the only specialty pediatric anesthesia
team and dedicated 20-bed Cardiac Intensive Care Unit in Louisiana and
the Gulf South. The Heart Center staff is trained to work with children
and adolescents, helping them feel comfortable and safe in the hospital.
We also provide parents and family members with forthright updates on
the patient’s condition.
The Heart Center typically treats patients with congenital heart conditions,
but also provide services for patients with acquired conditions. We treat
nearly 2,000 children and adults each year and perform more than 450 cardiothoracic
surgeries. Approximately half of these operations are performed on children
who are less than one year old.
Conditions we treat include:
Septal defects
Valvular anomalies
Coarctation of the aorta
Interrupted or hypoplastic aortic arch
Tetralogy of Fallot
Transposition of the great arteries
Total anomalous pulmonary venous return
Ebstein’s anomaly
Truncus arteriosus
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) or single ventricle variants (e.g.
tricuspid atresia)
Chest wall deformities including pectus excavatum and carinatum
Diseases involving the lungs, pleura or diaphragm as well as implantation
of pacemakers
Congenital coronary artery abnormalities
Leading Innovation in Pediatric Care
Patients also benefit from our expertise in cutting-edge treatments. For
example, Manning Family Children’s was the first hospital in Louisiana
to utilize virtual reality segmentation technology, which combines various
forms of imaging, such as ultrasounds and CT scans, to create 3D models
that can be viewed in virtual reality. With this technology, our cardiothoracic
surgeons can better plan and execute complex procedures, which can help
reduce surgical time and speed recovery. Following
the success of its first surgical case utilizing this technology in a newborn
with congenital heart defects, Manning Family Children’s plans to expand use of the virtual reality
segmentation software for patients with more complex congenital heart defects.
ECMO is a life-sustaining treatment, used to support patients with respiratory
distress. It is often used on children after they undergo cardiac surgery
while they recover. Our ECMO program is overseen by a specially-trained
team of respiratory therapists, and is currently the largest and most
successful program of its kind in the region.
Manning Family Children's contributes to the Society for Thoracic Surgery
(STS) Congenital Heart Surgery Database. This database allows for an option
to publicly report outcomes, which we have elected to do for the last
several years. STS updates this publicly reporting initiative once a year;
the report includes a cumulative 4 years of data.
