Center for Single Ventricle Care
A normal heart has two ventricles which pump blood out of the heart. In children with single ventricle defects, one of these chambers is missing or is too small to function properly. Examples include hypoplastic left heart syndrome, tricuspid atresia, pulmonary atresia, and double-outlet right ventricle. Babies born with this condition require urgent open-heart surgery within the first week of life.
85% survival for highrisk neonates following single ventricle palliation is achievable because of the coordination and expertise of our highlyspecialized multidisciplinary cardiovascular team
The Center for Single Ventricle Care at NewYork-Presbyterian is the only center of its kind in New York, features a multidisciplinary team of specialists to:
Manage single ventricle defects, even before birth, using advanced technologies to accurately assess a child’s heart anatomy and function.
Create a roadmap outlining a staged program of care, including a series of corrective surgeries that begin shortly after birth.
Assess each child for neurodevelopmental delays or concerns and optimize neurodevelopmental progress.
Monitor children to support health and optimal development until adulthood.
Subsequent operations are staged to re-route the circulatory system to eventually allow the single ventricle to pump red oxygenated blood to the body while the blue blood is channeled to flow passively directly to the lungs. A key component of the Center for Single Ventricle Care is our interstage surveillance program, created to track a child’s health between the first two surgeries. A team of nurse practitioners dedicated to this specific program call home weekly to get updates on a child’s health status. The nurses answer any questions and also coordinate visits to our clinic.
