Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology

Patients at Children's Wisconsin who have heart surgery, catheterization or another heart procedure that requires them to be asleep (under anesthesia) are in the attentive care of a pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist. Pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists are specially trained and dedicated completely to keeping patients asleep, safe and comfortable during a procedure or diagnostic test like an echocardiogram. They also care for children with heart conditions who need a tonsillectomy or other non-cardiac invasive or diagnostic procedure, and are often involved in procedures for adults with adult congenital heart disease.

Children's Wisconsin is one of the few Children's in the country with dedicated pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists. They are part of the overall pediatric anesthesiology team at Children's. Here's what makes pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists so vital to the success of heart-related surgeries and procedures.

Guardians of your child's health, safety and comfort

During a procedure, pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists take on the role of the child's dedicated physician. When seconds can count, they know how to recognize the specialized care a child with heart concerns may need and how to quickly provide that care. They use monitoring devices to make sure breathing, brain activity and circulation are functioning at the best possible levels. If levels become a concern, they immediately work with the surgical team to make adjustments in care as needed. They are trained and experienced in providing highly personalized, focused care for children in various states of unconsciousness. They are involved in your child's care after surgery, too, as he or she recovers in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit.

Experts in pediatric cardiac anesthesiology

Members of our team of pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists at Children's have a minimum of four or five years of additional training and experience beyond medical school. They are board-certified and fellowship-trained in multiple areas of expertise, including pediatric anesthesiology and pediatric critical care. All specialize in caring for infants, children and adults with congenital or other heart conditions that complicate the use of anesthesia and pain control for the patient. They have extensive knowledge and experience about anesthesia, pain and other medications, as well as how the body reacts to them.

In addition to clinical skills, the pediatric cardiac anesthesia team uses best practices to make sure care is provided in the most timely, efficient way possible, 24 hours a day. They have systems and plans to make sure equipment, medications, data collection, peer feedback and other key elements are in place for every procedure and every patient.   

World leaders in lifesaving monitoring techniques

Pediatric anesthesiologists at Children's, like their colleagues in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, have research-proven success in monitoring techniques that go beyond the standard to measure a child's vital signs as well as brain activity, kidney function and blood oxygen during and after a procedure. In fact, physicians at Children's were the first in the country to publish evidence that monitoring blood oxygen levels through continuous, non-invasive approaches like near infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS) can dramatically improve outcomes, especially in brain (neurodevelopmental) function. At Children's, our dedicated work to improve surgical results has helped us achieve the best published outcomes for hypoplastic left heart syndrome in the world.