If your child has a heart condition that may benefit from surgery, we’re here to help. The Congenital Heart Center at Columbia is one of the nation’s best programs for treating complex heart conditions in children of all ages, from newborns to adolescents and young adults. Our multispecialist team delivers the highest level of care and support at Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian’s Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, New York’s No. 1 children’s hospital.
Our surgeons routinely treat the most complex cases while providing the best outcomes. We have the lowest mortality rate in New York State for pediatric heart surgery.
To get started with our center, call (212) 305-2688 or request an appointment online.
Who We Treat
Our team has experience with all forms of pediatric heart disease and is fully trained in all of the most advanced surgical treatment techniques.
Conditions We Cover
Pediatric heart conditions we treat include:
- Atrial Septal Defect
- Coarctation of the Aorta
- Congenital Aortic Valve Stenosis
- Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Vessels
- Coronary Artery Fistula
- D-Transposition of the Great Arteries
- Ebstein's Anomaly
- Mitral Valve Stenosis and Regurgitation
- Patent Foramen Ovale
- Pulmonary Valve Stenosis
- Single Ventricle
- Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Ventricular Septal Defect
Services We Offer
Pediatric heart treatments and surgeries we perform include:
- Aortic Ross Procedure
- Arterial Switch Operation
- Atrial Septal Defect Repair
- Fontan Procedure
- Glenn Procedure
- Norwood Procedure
- Ozaki Aortic Valve Repair
- Tetralogy of Fallot Repair
- Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return Repair
- Transplantation
- Ventricular Septal Defect Repair
Read more about congenital heart disease.
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Key Clinical Programs
The Congenital Heart Center is home to a number of specialized services and programs that leverage the experience and expertise of our surgeons, clinicians, and support staff to provide the latest evidence-based treatment for pediatric cardiac conditions.
Lifesaving Care—Even Before Birth
Many serious heart conditions can be surgically treated while the child is still in the womb. The Congenital Heart Center has one of the largest and most experienced maternal-fetal medicine teams in the country. The Fetal Cardiac Program at Columbia’s Center for Prenatal Pediatrics offers comprehensive and compassionate care for children diagnosed with congenital heart disease before birth, providing care for both mother and baby from the time of prenatal diagnosis through birth and beyond.
Leaders in Pediatric Heart Transplantation
As one of the largest and most successful pediatric heart transplantation programs in the world, we’ve helped hundreds of children receive new hearts and live longer, healthier lives. Our Pediatric Cardiomyopathy, Heart Failure, and Transplantation program is a pioneer in innovative techniques and treatments, delivering care for children in need of a heart transplant. We are at the forefront of the latest technologies, including:
- ventricular assist devices to support patients awaiting a new heart
- novel immunosuppression after transplantation
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO): We are the only platinum center of excellence for ECMO in the region.
Pediatric Heart Transplant Program
A One of a Kind Pediatric Heart Valve Center
Our fully dedicated Pediatric Heart Valve Center is one of the largest and most preeminent programs focusing on heart valve congenital malformations in the nation. The Pediatric Heart Valve Center provides safe, effective, and innovative treatments for children and adolescents with congenital heart valve disease. Our collaborative team of experts from across Columbia offers cutting-edge surgical and interventional techniques for heart valve repair and heart valve replacement.
Treatment Through Adolescence and Beyond
Thanks to lifesaving advancements in pediatric heart care, a growing population of adults may eventually need surgical repair for congenital heart disease treatments they received as children. Our surgeons are also part of the Columbia’s Schneeweiss Adult Congenital Heart Center, one of the largest and most experienced adult congenital heart programs in the world, and can be a consistent presence in your child’s life as they transition to adult care.
Our Robotic Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Surgery Program is the only robotic surgery program in the nation dedicated to treating congenital heart disease. The program combines the latest technologies with the highest level of surgical expertise. Robotic surgery is the least invasive surgical approach for treating congenital heart conditions, offering benefits like shorter hospital stays, faster recovery, fewer complications, and less scarring and pain.
Robotic Peds & Congenital Heart
Stories & Perspectives
State of the Union: Pediatric Heart Surgery in 2024
An interview with pediatric heart surgeon Dr. David Kalfa about the latest and most cutting-edge advancements in pediatric heart surgery.
Highlights of Our Center
Lifelong Partners in Care
The relationships our pediatric heart patients build with us are just the beginning. Heart conditions often require lifelong monitoring and management, and what that looks like can change throughout a lifetime. Columbia offers continuity of care across all specialties and stages of a patient's life. As your young child transitions to adolescence and adulthood, we'll be there every step of their journey, providing the treatment and support they need to stay healthy and be at their best.
The Latest in Hybrid Heart Surgery
The Congenital Heart Center is one of just a few centers in the U.S., and the only one in the tristate area, offering hybrid cardiac surgery for infants and children. Hybrid heart surgery combines conventional surgical methods with minimally invasive, catheter-based interventional approaches to permit much smaller incisions, avoid the use of a heart-lung bypass machine, promote a faster recovery, and allow our surgeons to treat a condition with a single operation.
Specialized Care for Marfan and Connective Tissue Disorders
Columbia’s Pediatric Marfan Program is an all-in-one center designed to provide streamlined access to all the services our Marfan patients need, with a panel of experts working together to ensure you get the best care possible.
Pioneering Research and Innovation
As part of a major academic medical center and one of the oldest pediatric heart surgery programs in the country, we have a proud history of pioneering research, and we are constantly working on the next innovation in congenital heart care. We have consistently moved the field forward and advanced care by applying the latest research and technological breakthroughs, including:
- expanding the use of 3D models to plan and guide surgery
- leading the initial and ongoing development of transcatheter valve replacement in congenital heart disease
- performing the Ozaki aortic valve repair in children, in which the diseased aortic valve leaflets are removed to create a new aortic valve
- being at the forefront in examining the impact of heart failure on adult congenital heart disease
- guiding a national effort to improve patient outcomes through funded research and team-based clinical care
- performing comprehensive multidisciplinary heart valve repair and replacement, including the latest percutaneous interventions, for children and adults with congenital malformations
- establishing the only cardiac intensive care unit in the nation exclusively dedicated to the care of newborn infants with congenital heart disease.
Comprehensive Support From Experts
The center offers much more than the best in surgical care. We provide exceptional support from diagnosis through recovery from specialists who understand the needs of cardiac patients—and kids.
- Our pediatric cardiac nursing team members are at your child’s bedside from the operating room to the ICU, providing compassionate care at all times.
- Our child life program is one of the oldest and most respected programs in the country. Our specialists recognize the unique challenges children and their families face and are trained to provide individualized resources to help you stay in control and on top of their care. The Congenital Heart Center has a dedicated child life specialist assigned specifically to help our patients and their families.
- Our pediatric cardiac rehabilitation program provides every patient with a personalized and detailed evaluation and treatment plan created by an occupational and/or physical therapist. By creating a playful atmosphere in therapy, we can encourage pediatric patients to do their part to help themselves and have the best outcomes. For both inpatient and outpatient settings, our team will provide support, guidance, and education specifically designed for the specialized needs of children with cardiac disease and their families.
Related Programs
Stories & Perspectives
From NYP’s Health Matters: Saving Two Babies’ Lives With One Pioneering Approach to Heart Valve Transplantation
In a first-of-its-kind “domino” transplant in infants, cardiac surgeons at Columbia/NYP performed a heart transplant in one baby, and then transplanted valves from her old heart into another infant — saving two lives and paving the way to save more.
Our Pediatric Surgery Team
Our team of highly-skilled and experienced pediatric heart surgeons include national leaders in complex neonatal surgery, hybrid minimally invasive surgery and transplant/assist devices.
To talk with our team, call (212) 305-2688 or request an appointment today.
Emile A. Bacha, MD | (212) 305-2688
Chief, Congenital and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Dr. Bacha is Chief of the Division of Cardiac, Thoracic, & Vascular Surgery and the director of the Congenital Heart Center. His surgical expertise encompasses the full-spectrum of congenital and pediatric heart disease, including complex neonatal cardiac repairs and heart transplantation.
Andrew B Goldstone, MD | (212) 305-5975
Dr. Goldstone treats patients spanning from birth through adulthood, with a focus on neonatal surgery, complex biventricular repair, pulmonary artery reconstruction, and the surgical management of heart failure. He believes in a personalized approach to the treatment of heart disease, tailored to each patient’s specific needs.
David Kalfa, MD, PhD | (212) 305-5975
Dr. Kalfa is the Director of the Pediatric Heart Valve Center and Director of the Initiative for Pediatric Cardiac Innovation. His expertise includes the full spectrum of pediatric and adult congenital heart diseases including minimally-invasive procedures and heart transplantation.
John Karamichalis, MD | (212) 305-5975
Dr. Karamichalis is an experienced and award-winning pediatric heart surgeon. He is certified in Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery with subspecialty certification in Congenital Cardiac Surgery.
Our Pediatric Cardiology Partners
- Christopher Petit, MD | Chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology
Pediatric Heart Resources & More
Contact Information
Call us at (212) 305-2688 or reach us through our online appointment request form.
Documents and records can be faxed to us at (212) 305-4408
Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian
3959 Broadway (165th Street and Broadway)
New York, NY 10032
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Planning & Preparing
Stories & Perspectives
- Six year-old Heart Patient Does Mini-Triathlon: When Rob Foley and Lauren Kifer-Foley learned that their baby would be born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), they turned to Columbia’s heart surgery team at the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. Read More of their story »
Research
More Resources
To get started with our pediatric heart surgery team, call (212) 305-2688 or request an appointment online.