heart surgery and procedure program
Hearing your child needs heart surgery can be overwhelming. We’re here to make the next steps simple and stress-free.
overview
This is why we have partnered with Nationwide Children’s Hospital for a one program, two campus approach to providing heart surgery and other heart procedures for our patients.
Nationwide Children’s performs approximately 400 heart surgeries and over 500 heart catheterization procedures every year, making them on of the top healthcare facilities in the state of Ohio. The hospital is only about an hour from Dayton. Once the surgery or procedure is completed and your child has been discharged, all of your care will return close to home at Dayton Children’s Hospital. We continue to work very closely with Nationwide Children’s to ensure that this transfer of care occurs. Our care teams are available to guide and support you though every step of the journey, assuring that the communication channels between the two hospitals remain a top priority.
why can’t we have the heart surgery or procedure at Dayton Children’s?
In reality, not many children need heart surgery or heart procedures, like your child. Rather than provide services that we would do infrequently, we have chosen to collaborate with our colleagues at Nationwide Children’s. Studies have repeatedly shown that centers who perform a higher number of surgeries and procedures also have the best outcomes.
We know how important that is to all of us. By partnering, your child obtains the best from both worlds: they continue to receive compassionate familiar care from the Dayton Children’s team and expert, personalized care from Nationwide Children’s.
why can’t we have the heart surgery or procedure at Dayton Children’s?
learn more
The Heart Center at Nationwide Children’s
Continually ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, patients and families of The Heart Center at Nationwide Children’s experience innovation and advancements unlike any other institution. The Heart Center consolidates all cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery services into a comprehensive model for family-centered care and convenience. We are prepared to treat patients from 0 to 100 years of age, with experts in all areas of surgical and medical subspecialties.
Congenital heart surgeons perform more than 200 different types of procedures on fewer than 1 million patients each year in the United States. This makes comparing survival outcomes between hospitals difficult. In an effort to help each family make their own informed decision, Nationwide Children’s publishes outcome data each year.
Nationwide Children’s outcome data
To ensure our program is held to the highest standards, we participate in several national databases, registries and advisory panels where patient outcomes are reviewed. Through these groups, we share best practices with other providers from around the country and develop new quality improvement initiatives and measures that will continue to enhance our cardiac care.
heart surgery and procedure journey pathway
While each treatment plan will be different, there are a few general guidelines that will help you prepare and feel comfortable.
- You have the best of two children’s hospitals supporting you and your family every step of the way.
- Once the possible need for a heart procedure (or surgery) arises, your cardiologist will share all of your child’s heart information with the team at Nationwide Children’s.
- Your cardiologist will meet with the team at Nationwide Children’s. They will make a recommendation for next steps in your child’s care.
- Your cardiologistt will share his/her recommendation and prosesed next steps with you.
- if the procedure or surgery is recommended, the Nationwide Children’s team will contact you and shedule your chill´s surgery procedures; they will also answer any additional questions you may have.
- Your child will be admitted to Nationwide Children’s for the surgery or procedure.
- Information about your child’s surgery or procedure results will be communicated to your cardiologist.
- Your Dayton Children’s care team will track your child’s treatment and progress during yo ur child’s hospitalization at Nationwide Children’s.
- At or near the time of discharge, Dayton Children’s nurse navigator will communicate with the care team at Nationwide Children’s to help coordinate follow-up plans for your child.
- In most situations, a follow-up appointment with your cardiologist will be made for you. This appointment is usually within 7-10 days of discharge.
- In the event that post-op follow-up is necessary with other subspecialists (for example, gastroenterology), the nurse navigator will make those appointments for you.
- Both teams are always available for questions after your child is discharged from Nationwide Children’s.
important number
Stephenie Perkins, BSN, RN
Dayton Children’s nurse navigator
937-641-3709
your care team
Stephenie Perkins, BSN, RN:
Stephenie is the cardiology nurse navigator for Dayton Children’s Hospital. With nearly 15 years of nursing experience, she coordinates care with Nationwide Children’s for patients who need heart surgery or cardiology procedures not offered at Dayton Children’s. When Stephenie was young, she spent months in the burn unit at Dayton Children’s. Her experience as a patient grew into a passion for helping others. She always knew she would return to Dayton Children’s one day to help patients and families navigate their health care journey.
Lubabatu Abdurrahman, MD:
Dr. Abdurrahman is the division chief of cardiology at Dayton Children’s Hospital. For over 20 years, Dr. Abdurrahman has provided fetal cardiology and complex congenital heart disease care to families in the Greater Dayton area and beyond. Patient families collectively agree that Dr. Abdurrahman is compassionate and truly enjoys caring for her patients, while providing families with as much knowledge and understanding as possible.
Catherine Krawczeski, MD:
Dr. Krawczeski is the division chief of cardiology and co-director at The Heart Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She has spent more than 20 years caring for patients in need of cardiac intensive care. Cardiac intensive care is not only an opportunity to take care of her patients, but Dr. Krawczeski believes in taking care of the whole family. At Nationwide Children’s, she leads a comprehensive team that is specially trained to provide the highest level of care to heart patients of all ages, from neonates to adults.
Mark Galantowicz, MD:
Dr. Galantowicz is the chief of cardiothoracic surgery and co-director of The Heart Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Improving the outcomes of a child with a heart defect is very personal to Dr. Galantowicz. He believes there is hope within every complex heart abnormality. It is the reason he cares for some of the youngest and sickest patients at Nationwide Children’s.
connect with a pediatric cardiologist
Whether your child is showing signs of a heart condition or you’re seeking preventive care due to family history, Dayton Children’s is here to help. As your trusted partner in pediatric care, our cardiology team supports your family every step of the way—from testing to diagnosis to treatment—with expert, personalized care tailored to your child’s needs.
