A Family-Centered Treatment Approach to Heart Surgery
Cincinnati Children’s Heart Institute is part of the Joint Heart Program, a collaboration with Kentucky Children’s Hospital. Our goal is to provide world-class heart care closer to home.
Family-Centered Care
Cincinnati Children’s has led the way in family-centered care for decades. We recognize families as a critical member of the patient’s healthcare team. Parents and family members are a child’s main source of strength and support, and they are a constant in the child’s care. And older patients, even though they aren’t kids anymore, still rely on their family to assist them in a quick recovery. We invite patients and families to be part of the decision-making process, and we look to you to help our team improve the way we provide care.
Collaboration with Referring Providers
We partner with healthcare providers locally, regionally and from around the world to support the care they provide to their patients. We pride ourselves on making your provider a member of the team from day one and including them in every step of the way, including in the planning for your surgery.
One Patient, One Team
Multidisciplinary care brings together specialists from a variety of areas in the hospital, each with their own unique perspective. This allows us to consider all aspects of care and offer treatment plans tailored to each patient.
Each week we hold a Joint Heart Program Case Management Conference to discuss patient cases with over 50 members of the team reviewing each detail of the patient’s plan. This meeting is attended by all of the program cardiothoracic surgeons, the Heart Surgery team, cardiologists, cardiac intensivists, catheterization interventionists, anesthesiologists, residents, fellows and imaging specialists. At this conference, we review patients’ imaging and records and discuss possible courses of action and plan for surgery.
The meeting is held virtually, so you benefit from the expertise of the team at the Cincinnati Children’s main campus, as well as the team at Kentucky Children’s Hospital through our Joint Heart Program.
This conference is unique to our program and is critical to forming a well-rounded view of each individual patient’s situation. With many specialists all in one room discussing your or your child’s case, you will get input from a number of perspectives. The collective experience of this team allows us to provide the best care plans possible. We also work closely with your primary cardiologist to make sure the surgical plan is the optimal approach for you or your child.
Virtual Surgical Planning
Our team is leading the way in using virtual tools to plan surgeries including virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. Learn more about our surgical technology innovations.
Specialty Clinics and Programs
We offer unique clinics and programs that take a specialized approach to complex heart conditions. Programs such as the Fontan Management Clinic, Coronary Artery Clinic, Cardiac Rehabilitation Program and Cardio-Oncology Program, are among the few in the country to provide this level of expertise for the patients who need them.
Research and Clinical Trials
Our surgical faculty are world leaders in cardiothoracic surgery clinical and translational research and lead several cardiothoracic surgery research initiatives. Together they have published more than 1,200 manuscripts and chapters in the medical literature. This positions the Heart Institute at the cutting edge of new treatments and allows us to offer advanced clinical trials or therapies to our patients.
