Choosing the Right Hospital for Treating Your Child’s Congenital Heart Defect

Choosing the right hospital for your child is a very important decision. When a child is diagnosed with a serious cardiovascular disease or has a congenital heart defect, any parent would be eager to get it treated as soon as possible. However, it is very important to think carefully before deciding where your child should have a heart surgery.

A recent U.S. News & World Report analysis showed that 26 percent of the deaths that occurred following surgery for the most severe heart defects were preventable. What’s the key to preventing them? Choosing a hospital that performs the procedures frequently.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons separates hospitals that perform congenital heart surgery into three categories:

• Low volume — an average of fewer than 100 patients per year
• Medium volume — an average of 100 to 249 patients per year
• High volume — an average of 250 or more patients per year

Surgeries performed at high-volume hospitals tend to have better outcomes, especially when the surgeries are more complex.

At Lagos Executive Cardiovascular Clinic (LECC), we average over 700 patients per year. It is well known that the more a hospital performs a procedure, the better the outcome. It is important to know how many times a hospital or surgeon performs a procedure because the more frequently the same procedure is done, the more they get better at it.

Other questions to ask include:

1. How complex is the surgery?

2. How extensive is the surgeon’s experience?

3. Does the surgeon have a good relationship with his or her patients?

At LECC, we score high in these metrics. We have extensive experience in both low-risk and high-risk procedures. Our paediatric cardiovascular surgeons have no less than 10 years of experience. And, we ensure that we maintain a good lifelong relationship with all our patients.

Choosing the right hospital for your child is a very important decision. When a child is diagnosed with a serious cardiovascular disease or has a congenital heart defect, any parent would be eager to get it treated as soon as possible. However, it is very important to think carefully before deciding where your child should have a heart surgery.