The Division of Cardiac Anesthesia at Boston Children’s Hospital — a division of the hospital’s Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine — has been providing care for infants, children, and adults with various forms of congenital and acquired heart disease, as well as those with thoracic (lung) and vascular (blood vessel) disease, for more than 30 years. Every year the division’s doctors, nurses, and staff participate in more than 1,000 heart surgeries and 1,200 cardiac catheterizations and other procedures. Our specialists also consult on and manage the care of patients with congenital heart disease undergoing surgery for non-cardiac reasons.
Chief of Cardiac Anesthesia James DiNardo, MD, of Boston Children’s Hospital
Our multidisciplinary team
Our team includes board-certified anesthesiologists, certified nurse anesthetists, and fellows, all of whom specialize in or are being trained in the practice of pediatric cardiac anesthesiology. We care for patients in the operating room, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, as well as patients seen for other invasive and non-invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. We also work in collaboration with specialists in the departments of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery to ensure that every patient receives the highest standard of care.
Our innovative approach
The care we provide to patients with congenital heart disease is built on continuous innovation and improvement. Our efforts go beyond the ongoing study of agents and methods for providing sedation, anesthesia, and pain relief to include:
- design and evaluation of new monitoring devices
- basic and applied research about organ injury and protection
- innovation in blood loss reduction
- building a deeper understanding of both perioperative and long-term outcomes
Our cardiac anesthesia team’s involvement, commitment, and expertise are critical to the evolution and success of many innovations and improvements in cardiac catheterization and surgical procedures at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Our services
Services offered by the Division of Cardiac Anesthesia at Boston Children’s Hospital include:
- assessment and consultation for children (and adults) before heart surgery and non-surgical cardiac procedures
- coordination of care especially for patients requiring multiple procedures
- anesthesia and/or sedation for imaging tests, cardiac catheterization, cardiac, and non-cardiac surgery and other procedures
- development and continuous refinement of strategies, equipment, drugs, and techniques for ensuring patients’ safety and good health before, during, and after a procedure
- acute and chronic pain control during and after surgery
Training tomorrow’s specialists
We are one of the major training centers for cardiac anesthesiologists who wish to specialize in the care of children with heart disease.
