Cardiothoracic Surgery

The Cardiology and Cardiothoracic departments established services at Driscoll Children's Hospital soon after it opened its doors in 1953. Cardiothoracic Surgery is a subspecialty of surgery that involves the structures of the chest and blood vessels of the body. This includes the heart, lungs, esophagus and vascular system. Dr. Morales and Dr. Bielefeld perform cardiothoracic surgery on neonates, infants, children and even adults with problems of the heart and lung that are congenital in nature. Together with a highly skilled team of surgeons, cardiologists, intensivists, and anesthesiologists these doctors are exclusively dedicated to the care of children with congenital heart disease, regardless of their ability to pay. In 1984, Dr. James Duff performed the 1st successful neonatal aortic switch in the state of Texas here at Driscoll Children's Hospital.

The cardiothoracic surgeries that they perform include minimally invasive, "bloodless" surgery, ECMO, arrhythmia surgery, intra-operative stent techniques, etc. A full service heart catheterization laboratory as well as pediatric and neonatal intensive care units provide further support services in conjunction with cardiothoracic surgery.

Currently the cardiothoracic program has evolved into a highly sophisticated team that cares for over 500 procedures per year with a mortality rate of <2%. Our expertise includes the management of newborns with complex heart lesions including Single Ventricle abnormalities, Hypoplastic Left Heart Ventricle Syndrome, Truncus Arteriosus, Interrupted Aortic Arch, and Transposition of the Great Arteries.

The pediatric cardiology/cardiothoracic program at Driscoll Children's Hospital has grown into 22 satellite clinics, distributed throughout South Texas from Del Rio to Victoria, with over 10,000 outpatient visits per year. Our referral area includes South Texas, the north of Mexico and states other than Texas. Cardiothoracic Associates has developed an international outreach satellite program in Mexico including visits to Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Saltillo, and Coahuila. They have also done international charity missions to Africa and Central America.