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COVID-19 Updates: Visitor Guidelines, Vaccines & More

Safety Measures at Riley Children’s Health

We are taking thoughtful steps to ensure our spaces remain safe for patients, parents and caregivers. View safety measures, mask policy and visiting guidelines.


COVID-19 Vaccines

The COVID-19 vaccine is available to anyone 5 and older. People younger than 18 must receive the Pfizer vaccine. To schedule an appointment, call 211 or visit ourshot.in.gov. Several COVID-19 vaccine locations also offer walk-in appointments. View full details.

Actualizaciones de COVID-19: Políticas para visitantes, vacunas y más

Medidas de seguridad en Riley Children's Health

Estamos adoptando medidas reflexivas para garantizar que nuestros espacios sigan siendo seguros para los pacientes, los padres y los cuidadores. Vea las medidas de seguridad, la política de uso de mascarillas y las directrices de visitas.

Vacunas contra la COVID-19

La vacuna contra la COVID-19 está disponible para cualquier persona mayor de 5 años. Las personas menores de 18 años deben recibir la vacuna de Pfizer. Para programar una cita, llame al 211 o visite la página ourshot.in.gov. Varios centros de vacunación contra la COVID-19 atienden sin cita previa. Vea todos los detalles.

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Riley Children's Health

Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery

Ranked 5th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report

Departments Banner Cardiothoracicsurgery

Contact Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery

317.944.7150

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Our board-certified surgeons treat and manage the entire spectrum of heart defects—from common to rare and complex. They are responsible for developing many novel techniques that improve survival rates and quality of life for children with heart defects that were once untreatable.

Why Choose Riley for Pediatric Heart Surgery

Why Choose Riley for Pediatric Heart Surgery

Whether we meet through the diagnosis of your child’s heart condition at birth or through a pediatrician, cardiologist or primary care referral, we are ready to serve your family’s healthcare needs for as long as you need us.

Heart defects come in so many shapes and sizes. No two patients are exactly the same. Your loved one’s condition may be very simple or it may require complex care performed in stages. Either way, we help parents and caregivers understand each step in a customized care plan, and we embrace each family as a valued part of the healthcare team.

Families affected by congenital heart disease linked to their genetic traits can also seek guidance from our Cardiovascular Genetic Counseling Program to determine whether future children or other family members may be at risk for the same disorder.

Multidisciplinary Care

Riley at IU Health offers a fully-integrated program to care for children and adults with congenital heart disease. Our people and resources are organized and ready to provide a rare level of coordinated care at one of the nation’s top destinations for acute care.

Your child’s cardiac healthcare team has world-class specialists trained in cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac anesthesiologists, imaging technicians, congenital cardiologists, cardiovascular intensive care specialists and many other who specialize in working with heart defects and thoracic conditions.

This includes a team of dedicated cardiovascular nurses that place Riley at IU Health among the top 5 percent of hospitals in the United States for nursing quality, safety and patient satisfaction as conferred by Magnet status.

As part of a comprehensive pediatric healthcare system for advanced care, our team collaborates with other highly skilled specialists to deliver the right care at the right time for your child or loved one. Riley at IU Health offers a wide range of support services designed to help families cope with the emotional, physical and financial strains of a healthcare challenge.

Innovative Treatments

Riley at IU Health is a place where innovative treatments often begin. We are nationally known as a high-volume center for the Ross procedure, a surgery that uses a patient’s pulmonary valve to replace the aortic valve. Our specialists are recognized nationally and internationally as respected resources for procedures that repair undersized pulmonary arteries, remove cardiac tumors and rebuild complex heart anatomies. Ours was also one of the first pediatric heart programs in the nation to give a child a Berlin heart, now used worldwide to save children affected by heart conditions.

We provide every kind of life support, transport and assist device that could be needed for acute pediatric care. This includes ECMO technology (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), which oxygenates the blood after surgery. We also have a full complement of ventricular assist devices to support the function of a failing heart, including the total artificial heart. With our record of outstanding survival rates, the Riley Heart Center is one of 30+ heart programs in the United States certified to perform a pediatric heart transplant.

Recognized Leaders Who Are Committed to Excellence

Learning to repair a faulty heart requires a level of education that surpasses what is required of most surgeons. Our heart surgeons have an extra tier of training and practice in congenital heart defects and thoracic disease. These credentials set them apart as a rare breed of surgeons who can offer a degree of expertise found only in the most advanced pediatric hospitals.

Their pursuit of excellence also keeps them invested in research to find new ways of resolving complex congenital heart defects and diseases of the lung, blood vessels and heart. They share their knowledge globally through lectures and humanitarian work that promotes children’s heart health. In parts of the world where there is little access to advanced healthcare, our surgeons are there to give hands-on training for physicians who treat heart defects.

Lifelong Care for Heart Defects

A growing number of children are living productive lives long after their congenital heart defects are repaired. Our Adults With Congenital Heart Disease Progam can manage your child’s condition into adulthood to promote optimal health through every stage of life.

Best Children's Hospitals, Cardiology & Heart Surgery 2021-22, US News & World Report

Top Ranked Heart Care for Kids

Our pediatric cardiovascular program is ranked 5th in the nation by U.S.News & World Report and the Midwest's best hospital for children's heart care. We are also one of the highest volume pediatric cardiovascular centers in the country, and research shows higher volumes translates to better outcomes. Our overall survival rate for cardiovascular surgery is significantly better than the national average. Our team is the only group performing pediatric heart transplantation in Indiana and the pediatric cardiac critical care team is the only one of its kind in the state.

Surgical Outcomes Callout

Surgery Annual Report

Read more about our surgical quality and patient safety outcomes.

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.

  • Atrial Septal Defects
  • Atrioventricular Canal Defect
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • D-Transposition of the Great Vessels
  • Heterotaxy Syndrome
  • Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)
  • Supraventricular Tachycardia
  • Tetralogy of Fallot
  • 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.

  • Echocardiogram
  • Heart Transplant
  • Staged Single Ventricle Reconstruction

Doctors and Locations

Doctors

of | results

    Locations

    Locations

    Riley Physicians Cardiothoracic Surgery

    575 Riley Hospital Dr
    Indianapolis, IN 46202

    317.944.7150

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    Department Forms & Resources

    Department Forms & Resources

    The Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at Riley at IU 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

    • Guide to Surgery (Riley at IU Health) 311.083 KB

      View our Guide to Surgery to ease anxiety and prepare you and your child before surgery.

    • Guía para la cirugía (Riley at IU Health) 124.137 KB

      Creamos esta guía como un recurso para ayudarlo a comprender mejor nuestro proceso y para aliviar un poco la ansiedad que pueda estar experimentando.

    • Riley Heart Surgery Family Guidebook 2.222 MB

      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.

    • Adults with Congenital Heart Disease
    • Pediatric Cardiology
    • Cardiovascular Genetics Program
    • Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit
    • Critical Care
    • Neonatology (NICU)
    • Reproductive Health Program for Adolescents & Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease
    • Riley Heart Center

    Related Stories

    Related Stories

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    04/14/22 Patient Stories

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    She has a heart baby at home and the Riley team “in her back pocket”

    06/03/21 Patient Stories

    As part of Riley’s cardiology home-monitoring program, 5-month-old Adriel Hernandez is able to be home with his family while a care team follows his progress virtually.

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    Blog Zaneweb

    She almost lost her boy, but the stars aligned that January night

    03/07/21 Patient Stories

    So many times, someone could have said, “No, we can’t do that.” Instead, teams from three hospitals said “yes,” and a 15-year-old boy is alive because of it. Read how Riley and Methodist worked together to save a patient who was clinging to life at an Evansville hospital.

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    Blog Simsweb

    Riley saved her life and now she helps save others

    02/22/21 Our Community

    Diagnosed with a rare heart condition as an infant, Keleigh Sims pours that same heart into her work as a nurse on the cardiac unit.

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    Blog Makaylawebmain

    She has a new heart but the same old sass

    01/21/21 Patient Stories

    Five-year-old Makayla Owens’ heart was weak, but her spirit was strong. After 17 months at Riley, she’ll soon be going home.

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    Blog Jbrownwebmain

    IU Bicentennial Medal awarded to Dr. John Brown

    01/13/21

    The honors keep pouring in for the celebrated heart surgeon, who retired last month after 43 years at Riley and the IU School of Medicine.

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    Blog Drs Brown And Caldwell Web

    City of Indianapolis honors retiring Riley legends

    12/31/20 Our Community

    Proclamations signed by the mayor designate Jan. 1, 2021 as Dr. John H. Brown Day and Dr. Randall L. Caldwell Day.

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    Blog Drbrownwebmain

    A hero to many, Dr. John Brown is hanging up his scrubs

    12/17/20 Our Community

    After a 43-year career at Riley Hospital, this renowned heart surgeon is passing the scalpel.

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    Blog Drtweb

    Dr. Turrentine on medical mission trips: "Service above self"

    10/27/20

    Interest in global humanitarian work began in the late 90s for Dr. Mark Turrentine, cardiothoracic surgeon and division chief at Riley Children's Health. In 2007, he and a team went to Amman, Jordan....

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    Blog Heartcenterusnwrweb

    Top 5 ranking is a win for more than the heart team

    07/08/20 Patient Care

    Rankings success is a point of pride for many who contribute to the Riley cardiology and heart surgery team’s national stature, including the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Team.

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    View more Related Stories

    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.

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    Heart Diagnosis: 317.944.7150

    Lung or Throat Diagnosis: 317.944.2394

    Fax Number: 317.274.2940

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    Research

    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.

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    Designated as Best Children's Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, Ranked in 10 Specialties in 2020-21

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