The CHOC Heart Institute combines the latest in cardiac surgical techniques and postoperative care to meet the unique needs of even the most fragile pediatric heart patients. Our pediatric-trained and board-certified cardiac surgeons and cardiologists diagnose and treat virtually every known congenital and acquired heart condition in children.

Unparalleled Postoperative Care
Our brand-new, state-of-the-art Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) houses 30 private rooms—increasing our capacity to care for Orange County’s most critically ill children. The CVICU is a 12-room designated area adjacent to the PICU. It includes two fully-equipped procedure rooms that enable our physicians to perform lifesaving surgery on children who otherwise could not be transported out of the unit. All of the CVICU rooms are outfitted with leading-edge technology equal to the demands of monitoring children after complex operations.

CHOC is using Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to track oxygen uptake after surgery—a crucial indicator of a patient’s progress. And, telemedicine links and robotic monitoring with local emergency rooms and hospitals allow quick and accurate diagnoses and enable physicians to conduct rounds from remote locations.

In addition, physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists in the PICU, CVICU and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) perform daily rounds together, working as members of a single team. This innovate approach to making rounds greatly improves the quality of patient care, since many PICU patients are seen in all three intensive care units.