Among the Top Congenital Heart Surgery Programs in North America
The Children’s Heart Institute at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital provides innovative solutions and comprehensive care for newborns and children, with the ability to transition into adult congenital cardiac care. A collaboration between the affiliated physicians at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, the Children’s Heart Institute continues to deliver excellent patient care and outcomes for children with heart problems—providing hope to many families.
Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital was named one of the top children's hospitals nationally in Cardiology & Heart Surgery by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, the Children’s Heart Institute ranks among the elite for congenital heart surgery programs in the United States and Canada, as evidenced by the most recent Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD) reports from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). Each year, participating centers submit their data to STS to compare their outcomes against STS national benchmarks. To view the Children’s Heart Institute’s STS report, click here.
At the Children’s Heart Institute, we strive to provide the community with up-to-date information on our patient outcomes data. We hope this data serves as a helpful resource when making informed decisions regarding your child’s care.
Children’s Heart Institute Surgical Volume
January 2018 - December 2022
STAT Category
The STS classifies cardiac cases into five categories, 1-5, based on complexity of the procedure. Category 1 is the least complex and Category 5 is the most complex, with the highest risk of mortality (death). The affiliated board-certified pediatric and congenital heart surgeons treat the full spectrum of pediatric and congenital heart conditions, from the simplest to the most complex.
Volume by STAT Category
*Source: STS Database, Table 1
Volume and Mortality Rate by STAT Category
The STS mortality metrics are risk-adjusted to allow for more level comparison of any given hospital participating in the database, with factors such as acuity, complexity and comorbidities taken into account. While the Children’s Heart Institute’s unadjusted mortality rate is 3.22%, our expected mortality rate is 4.68%. Our expected mortality rate is representative of the severity of the cases our program treats, and the high complexity of patients our affiliated team works to save.
| STAT Category | Number of Procedures | Number of Mortalities | % Mortality | STS National Benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | 233 | 1 | 0.43% | 0.34% |
| Category 2 | 308 | 6 | 1.95% | 1.37% |
| Category 3 | 163 | 3 | 1.84% | 1.91% |
| Category 4 | 309 | 19 | 6.15% | 5.97% |
| Category 5 | 44 | 5 | 11.36% | 11.79% |
| Overall | 1057 | 34 | 3.22% | 2.64% |
Source: STS Database, Table 16
Index Procedure Volume and Mortality Rate
The data below shows the Children’s Heart Institute’s heart surgery volume and mortality rate by procedure type.
INDEX PROCEDURE VOLUME AND MORTALITY RATE (July 2017 - June 2021)
| Index Procedure | Number of Procedures | Number of Mortalities | % Mortality | STS National Benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arterial switch operation (ASO) | 27 | 1 | 3.7% | 1.83% |
| ASO + VSD Repair | 6 | 0 | 0.0% | 5.15% |
| Atrioventricular canal repair (AVC) | 33 | 0 | 0.0% | 1.38% |
| Coarctation | 11 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.89% |
| Fontan | 43 | 0 | 0.0% | 1.08% |
| Glenn / HemiFontan | 46 | 0 | 0.0% | 1.99% |
| Norwood* | 25 | 3 | 12% | 11.68% |
| Truncus Arteriosus Repair | 5 | 0 | 0.0% | 8.1% |
| Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) Repair | 84 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.35% |
| Tetrology of Fallot | 52 | 2 | 3.85% | 1.09% |
*Note: Operative Mortality is defined as any death, regardless of cause, occurring (1) within 30 days after surgery in or out of the hospital, and (2) after 30 days during the same hospitalization subsequent to the operation. Source: STS Database, Table 18
Complex Cases with Significant Outcomes
A recent study published in the prestigious Annals of Thoracic Surgery took an in-depth look at the variability of cases among the top 50 pediatric heart programs in North America and examined how different hospitals perform heart surgeries on children. They used a scale to rate the risk of the surgeries being performed. As expected, they found that heart centers that were willing to perform riskier surgeries tended to average higher mortality rates, and hospitals that performed fewer complex surgeries had lower mortality rates overall.
An exception worthy of note, the study showed that the Children’s Heart Institute at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital not only performed a large number of the most complex cases, but also had a lower adjusted mortality rate. In fact, for the riskiest surgeries categorized as STAT 5, the Children’s Heart Institute’s actual mortality rate is half of what is expected, based on the complexity of these surgeries. The program stands out among other ranked programs as performing the most complex cases and having high quality outcomes, despite taking on the most complex cases.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, use the online tool below to help us connect with you. To refer a patient or schedule an appointment, please contact our clinic using the information below.
- Pediatric Cardiology Clinic
The University of Texas Health Science Center Professional Building
6410 Fannin, Suite 370
Houston, TX 77030
Phone: (713) 486-6755 (Appointment Line)
- Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery Clinic
The University of Texas Health Science Center Professional Building
6410 Fannin, Suite 370
Houston, TX 77030
Phone: (713) 500-5746
CMHH-Heart@memorialhermann.org
To contact Children’s Heart Institute at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, please fill out the form below.
The Children’s Heart Institute is a collaboration between the affiliated physicians at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. Typically, patients are seen on an outpatient basis at a UT Physicians clinic with all inpatient procedures performed at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.
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