Our board-certified pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons specialize in treating the full range of heart defects—from the most common to the rarest and most complex. They also develop novel techniques to improve survival rates and quality of life for children with heart defects.
Why Choose Riley Children's for Pediatric Heart Surgery
Why Choose Riley Children's for Pediatric Heart Surgery
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Surgical Outcomes You Can Trust
Surgical Outcomes You Can Trust
The Riley Heart Center performs over 495 cardiac surgeries annually and our overall heart surgery survival rate is 97%, reflecting high-quality surgical outcomes over the last four years.* Additionally, this past year, Riley Children’s significantly improved in observed mortality, demonstrating our commitment to improving outcomes for every child. Between July 2024 and June 2025, Riley Children’s had an observed mortality rate of 1.59%, well below the STS national average of 2.39%.
Our outcomes are driven by our advanced care. At Riley Children’s, we are equipped to provide the highest level of life support for children facing critical heart defects. Our team offers advanced technologies to stabilize and support young hearts when they need it the most. This includes ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), specialized life-saving treatment for a child’s heart and lungs, and ventricular assist devices (VADs), to support children with severe heart failure.
At Riley Children’s, patients return home sooner than the STS national median for 10 out of 10 procedures.
Days to Return Home*
- Coarctation repair (off bypass)
- AVC
- ASO
- VSD
- ASO and VSD
-
Riley Children's
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STS National Median
*STS Harvest Report published December 2025 for the period July 2021 to June 2025.
Days to Return Home*
- Fontan
- Glenn/Hemi-Fontan
- TOF
- Truncus Arteriosus
- Norwood
-
Riley Children's
-
STS National Median
*STS Harvest Report published December 2025 for the period July 2021 to June 2025.
*The Riley Heart Center participates in public reporting of surgical outcomes through The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), which reflects outcomes based on a four-year period. This data is from the latest STS Harvest Report published December 2025 for the period July 2021 to June 2025.
Fully Integrated Heart Center
Families don’t need to leave Indiana to access highly skilled heart surgery at Riley Children’s—and many travel from across the nation to receive care here. Our pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons perform all heart surgeries at our heart center in downtown Indianapolis. The Riley Heart Center includes multiple operating suites designed for heart surgery, a cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU), cardiac step-down unit, and a neonatal cardiac unit—one of only a handful in the nation. That means from surgery to recovery, we offer complete cardiac care for your child.
Cardiac Team Trained in Complex Care
At Riley Children’s, we offer an integrated care model for children with congenital heart disease (CHD), from infancy through adulthood. Your child’s heart team includes nationally recognized pediatric specialists in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac anesthesiologists, imaging technicians, cardiovascular intensive care specialists, cardiac psychologists, cardiovascular nurses and many others—all focused on treating heart defects. This team has experience treating a wide range of heart defects, more than most other children’s hospitals.
Nationally Recognized Heart Surgeons
Our heart surgeons’s are dedicated not only to exceptional surgical care, but also to advancing the field through research and innovation. They continually explore new techniques and technologies to improve outcomes for children with complex congenital heart defects and diseases affecting the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. That’s why the heart program at Riley Children’s was among the first in the nation to implant a Berlin Heart, a life-saving device now used worldwide to support children with severe heart failure.
The Only Heart Transplant Program in Indiana
The Only Heart Transplant Program in Indiana
Riley Children’s is among the nation’s leaders in pediatric heart transplant outcomes. With our record of outstanding survival rates, the Riley Heart Center is one of over 30+ heart programs in the United States certified to perform a pediatric heart transplant.
We have a team of transplant coordinators who provide 24/7 support to heart transplant patients and their families. We maintain a low patient-to-coordinator ratio with each coordinator assigned to 25 to 30 patients to ensure more personalized care. Patients stay with the same transplant cardiologist and coordinator who see them throughout their time in our program.
Heart Transplant Patient Survival Rate*
| Duration | Riley Children's | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| 90 days | 100% | 96.81% |
| 1 year | 100% | 92.63% |
| 3 Years | 90% | 87.10% |
*Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) report published January 6, 2026, based on data available October 31, 2025.
Lifelong Care for Heart Defects
Lifelong Care for Heart Defects
When your child has surgery for a congenital heart defect, we provide support and promote optimal health through every stage of life. A growing number of children are living healthy lives long after their congenital heart defects are repaired. Our Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program helps children manage heart conditions into adulthood. For families affected by congenital heart conditions, our Cardiovascular Genetics Program offers guidance, helping determine whether future children or other family members may be at risk.
Conditions & Services
Conditions Treated
Our pediatric specialists provide patient- and family-centered care for most related conditions. The links below provide more specific information about some, but not all, of the conditions that we treat.
- Childhood Arrhythmia
- Atrial Septal Defects (ASD)
- Atrioventricular Canal Defect
- Cardiomyopathy
- D-Transposition of the Great Vessels (d-TGA)
- Heart Murmurs in Children
- Heterotaxy Syndrome
- Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)
- Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) in Children
- Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF)
- Truncus Arteriosus
- Ventricular Septal Defects
Services Offered
We offer a number of different Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery services. Below are some, but not all, of the services that we provide. If you have a question about a specific service that is not listed here, please contact our department.
Doctors and Locations
Department Forms & Resources
Department Forms & Resources
Riley Children's Health provides the following forms for parents, healthcare providers and personnel. We have also curated relevant resources from other websites and provided links with brief descriptions of the information that is available.
Resources
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Riley Heart Surgery Family Guidebook
Access our guide to your child’s heart surgery at Riley Hospital for Children.
Related Programs & Departments
Related Programs & Departments
We provide multispecialty care for a number of conditions. Below are links to our related programs & departments.
- Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD)
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Genetics Program
- Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit
- Neonatology (NICU)
- Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
- Reproductive Health Program for Adolescents & Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease
- Riley Heart Center
Related Stories
Related Stories
Baby Noah feels the love as he waits for a heart
Six-month-old Evansville boy born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome is on the transplant list.
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Lifesaving Berlin Heart's ties to Indianapolis
Since the early 2000s, pediatric Riley patients with life-threatening heart issues have received the Berlin Heart as a bridge to a heart transplant. Thus, the device has saved thousands of children...
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Health Professionals
For Health Professionals
Specialists at the Riley Heart Center work with primary care physicians to provide advanced care for children and adults with congenital heart disease.
Refer A Patient
Riley at IU Health works with referring physicians in Indiana and beyond.
Heart Diagnosis: 317.944.7150
Lung or Throat Diagnosis: 317.944.2394
Fax Number: 317.274.2940
Refer A PatientResearch
Riley Heart Center specialists are active researchers who improve care for congenital and acquired heart disease through innovation. Current research focuses on designing a new heart support system to help children with only one ventricle and babies with severely undersized pulmonary arteries. A team of physicians, researchers and coordinators at the Riley Heart Center collect outcome data for research purposes, working with multiple research partners, including the Indiana University School of Medicine. They also conduct research to support continuous process improvement at the Riley Heart Center. Bench researchers at the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research collaborate with our physicians on studies related to heart failure in children.
Education
The Riley Heart Center offers formal fellowship training for physicians who want to advance their experience in pediatric cardiology, critical care and cardiac surgery. Visit the Indiana University School of Medicine website for details about our fellowship program.