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Valley Children’s Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Expertise

The Cardiothoracic Surgery Program at Valley Children's Hospital, whose pediatric cardiovascular surgeons are from Stanford University School of Medicine, partners with Stanford in the Northern California Regional Congenital Heart Program. Our board-certified and fellowship-trained specialists provide the highest quality comprehensive surgical care for a full range of procedures from routine to the very complex for newborns, infants, children and adolescents as well as young adult patients with congenital heart disease or congenital heart defects who are better served by a Valley Children’s pediatric cardiac surgeon.

Strong Outcomes for Pediatric Heart Surgery

Each year, Northern California heart program surgeons perform about 1,000 cardiothoracic operations that include the full spectrum of pediatric and congenital cardiovascular surgical procedures. Valley Children’s pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons complete about a quarter of this annual total. These procedures include routine operations for heart conditions such as Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), as well as complex procedures including unifocalization, truncus repair, single ventricular repair, Norwood operations and Fontan operations.

At Valley Children’s, our specially trained pediatric cardiac surgeons work closely with cardiac pediatric anesthesiologists and pediatric intensive care physicians for a multidisciplinary team approach to care. With this integrated approach, patient experiences and surgical outcomes of the cardiothoracic surgery team at Valley Children’s are strong and compare positively to any other major pediatric cardiothoracic surgery program.

Multidisciplinary Care at Valley Children’s

Our pediatric heart surgery team at The Willson Heart Center works closely with all other pediatric specialists at Valley Children’s for expert diagnosis, treatment and management of all pediatric conditions and diseases. Whether one surgery is needed or extensive care management for more complex conditions, Valley Children’s provides comprehensive, multidisciplinary pediatric care. Appointments can be coordinated with all of our specialists at our main children’s hospital in Madera. For pre-surgical or post-surgical follow-up appointments, our cardiovascular specialists come to your communities for appointment availability in Modesto, Merced, Visalia, Bakersfield and San Luis Obispo.     

Our team understands that with any illness, life becomes more challenging. We provide support for families with a range of hospital services, including child life, spiritual care, interpreter, and social services. 

For Surgical Referrals to The Willson Heart Center

We welcome the opportunity to talk with you and answer your questions. For information or to make a referral to our practice, please contact us directly through our Valley Children’s Access Center for 24/7 access for referring physicians at 866-353-KIDS (5437) or our direct physician line at 559-353-6258. Our fax number is 559-353-5455. You also may submit referrals electronically at valleychildrens.org/refer.

Referrals for outpatient pediatric services for infants, children and young adults up to age 21 may be made by:

  • Physicians
  • Parents/family members/caregivers
  • Patients (who are at least age 18)
  • Third-party payors
  • Other allied health professionals