Stanford Medicine Children’s Heart Center

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Stanford Medicine Children’s Heart Center

From performing our first pediatric heart transplant 35+ years ago, to pioneering lifesaving surgery. and the world, our outcomes are outstanding.

Our world-renowned physicians at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health’s Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center have performed more than 2x the number of pediatric heart surgeries in recent years, when compared with the national average. When it comes to heart transplantation, we have performed our first successful pediatric heart transplant more than 35 years ago, and since then we have performe

d over 440 heart transplants in children of all ages. We’ve been the highest pediatric heart transplant volume center in California for nine consecutive years. And despite treating some of the most complex young patients in the U.S. Specialties:

• Pediatric cardiology
• Pediatric heart surgery
• Fetal cardiology
• Pulmonary artery reconstruction
• Heart transplantation
• Cardiovascular tissue disorders care
• Single ventricle care
• Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries care
• Pulmonary hypertension care
• Alagille syndrome care
• Congenital heart disease care
• Coronary anomalies care
• Bloodless cardiac surgery

To learn more or schedule an appointment, visit heart.stanfordchildrens.org. You can also reach our Heart Center by calling (650)-721-2121. Pediatric Cardiology - (650)-721-2121

Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery - (650)-724-2925

Heart Failure/Heart Transplant Care (PACT)- (650)-721 2598

International Referrals - (650)-709-3546

Please get involved by sharing your inspiring patient milestones with us. Submit your story ideas to social@stanfordchildrens.org. Digital Media Policy: http://bit.ly/digitalpolicy

Notice of Nondiscrimination: http://bit.ly/2e3UkCb

07/23/2025

Dr. Rachel Hopper, a pediatric cardiologist at Stanford Medicine Children's Health, is deeply committed to advancing clinical care and improving outcomes. Her dedication shines through her clinical practice, involvement in national organizations, and conferences where she shares her expertise. As the medical director of the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program, Dr. Hopper focuses on helping children with pulmonary vascular disease and pulmonary hypertension.

Our Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program was established over 20 years ago as part of the Vera Moulton Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease at Stanford. It, is one of the nation's longest-standing and largest, providing care for hundreds of children from across the country and around the world.

With her extensive knowledge, Dr. Hopper also serves as co-director for the Cardiac and Respiratory Care for Infants with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (CRIB) Program and the Center for Advanced Lung (CEAL) Therapies. Our highly specialized CRIB Program gives premature infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia their best chance at a lifetime of healthy breathing, even if they develop pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs) or have a congenital heart disease. CEAL offers hope to children with severe pulmonary hypertension or advanced lung disease, giving them the best chance at survival and an improved quality of life while awaiting lung transplants or other critical procedures.

Discover more about Dr. Hopper and the programs she’s most involved with at the Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center: https://bit.ly/4dAAjAI

07/17/2025

Michael Ma, MD, division chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Stanford Medicine Children's Health, is renowned for his leadership and exceptional surgical skills in tackling some of the most intricate and rare heart conditions.

Whether in the operating room or conducting research, Dr. Ma is deeply committed to providing children with heart disease the best opportunities for recovery, even when other institutions have deemed their cases untreatable. Beyond spearheading the heart surgery team at Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center, Dr. Ma is very involved in three pivotal programs for children with complex heart conditions: the Pulmonary Artery Reconstruction (PAR) Program—this flagship program is celebrated globally for significantly improving outcomes for patients with intricate pulmonary artery anomalies including patients with Williams Syndrome, Alagille Syndrome and others; the Complex Biventricular Reconstruction Program—offering pioneering surgical solutions, this program aims to restore normal circulation by performing biventricular reconstruction, thereby enhancing the quality of life for patients of all ages; and the Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Therapies (PACT) program—this program aids patients with advanced heart disease/heart failure, often requiring heart transplantation. The Stanford Medicine Children’s Health PACT program is pioneering in its integration of heart failure and transplantation care, offering comprehensive and individualized care from diagnosis to transplantation.

Dr. Ma takes immense pride in the groundbreaking work and the remarkable outcomes achieved by the heart team at Stanford Children’s. His guiding thought in every complex surgery is the commitment, “I will operate on your child as if they were my own,” a thought he often shares with parents.

Get to know Dr. Ma! https://bit.ly/4eL23my

07/15/2025

Having a child who has a complex heart condition or requires heart surgery is often overwhelming for parents and families. Receiving this type of care from our Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center team at Stanford Medicine Children's Health can involve multiple appointments, various specialists with expertise in your child’s specific heart condition, and ongoing tests and imaging.

That’s where our Heart Center Coordination Program comes in. Our coordination team provides you and your family with a cardiac nurse navigator to guide you every step of the way through your child’s care journey and provide an enhanced and convenient heart care experience for your child with complex heart procedure needs.

Our Heart Center Coordination team provides support to pediatric patients who are receiving a complicated heart surgery or an interventional cardiology procedure within several of our programs, including our Pulmonary Artery Reconstruction Program, Center for Advanced Lung Therapies, Alagille Syndrome Program, Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, and more.

Learn more about our Heart Center Coordination Program with the link in the bio.

07/08/2025

We are proud to announce that Newsweek has ranked Stanford Medicine Children's Health in the top 10 for the best children’s hospital for pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery in 2025! Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center is one of the few heart centers that offer every type of specialty and subspecialty heart care that’s available, and we take pride in providing high-quality, innovative, and compassionate care for all types of heart conditions for children of all ages. We are honored to be recognized for our highly experienced and compassionate heart care team.

06/25/2025

At Stanford Medicine Children's Health we are proud to achieve impressive heart outcomes for pediatric patients, despite taking on some of the toughest cases in the nation and the world. The pediatric heart surgeons at Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center successfully treat some of the most critically ill children—including unborn infants, premature infants, and teens—in the world. Performing more than 600 heart surgeries each year (significantly more than at other children’s hospitals in the country), our pediatric heart surgeons at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health are specialized in a range of heart conditions and treatments, from routine to complex, including pulmonary artery reconstruction, coronary anomalies repairs, heart transplantation, and single ventricle management.

And even though our pediatric heart surgeons treat the most complex cases, our patients’ lengths of stay are shorter for most benchmark heart surgeries than at other peer hospitals nationwide, and our overall survival rate is impressive, higher than 96%.

Together with our interventional cardiologists, pediatric cardiologists, and other critical clinicians specialized in caring for children with heart disease, our renowned heart experts draw families from across the globe seeking the best possible care and outcomes for their children.

Learn more about our heart outcomes: https://bit.ly/4ktLzRl

06/16/2025

Meet Scamper Patient Hero Mikayla — artist, bike rider, and heart transplant recipient. 💗🎨🛴

After doctors discovered she had a rare heart condition at age 4, Mikayla spent 111 days at Stanford Medicine Children's Health where she received lifesaving care and a new heart.

With support from her medical team—and a lot of creativity and courage—Mikayla is now thriving, back to riding her bike and dreaming of becoming a doctor at Stanford. 💫 (Link below to read her story)

Only 8 days until Summer Scamper! 🏃‍♀️🎉

Celebrate Mikayla and all our incredible Patient Heroes with us on June 21.

https://brnw.ch/21wTmwJ

06/10/2025

Children are typically born with two coronary arteries that supply oxygenated blood to the heart. An anomaly, or defect, can occur before birth in one or both coronary arteries, and many of these anomalies do not cause symptoms or affect your child’s health and lifestyle. However, when they do, medical evaluation and treatment is necessary.

The Congenital Coronary Artery Anomalies Program at Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center, led by Shiraz Maskatia, MD, provides comprehensive care for children and young adults with congenital coronary artery anomalies. Our highly specialized pediatric coronary artery anomalies program is one of a few in the country, and one of the largest.

Our robust program offers multiple specialists to care for children with congenital coronary anomalies, including experts in pediatric and adult cardiology, noninvasive cardiac imaging, interventional cardiology, heart surgery, electrophysiology, adult congenital heart disease, and genetic counseling.

Our entire program care team collaborates to clarify the pediatric patients’ risk level and ensure a successful outcome.

Learn more about why at Stanford Medicine Children's Health we treat more children with congenital coronary anomaly conditions than most other pediatric centers in the United States: https://bit.ly/4mrB8zC

06/03/2025

Puuwai was just 4 years old when he arrived at Stanford Medicine Children's Health in November 2024. His heart was failing. The medical team in Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center had to act quickly, implanting a ventricular assist device (VAD), a mechanical pump designed to keep his heart working while he awaited a possible heart transplant.

The months that followed were marked by a series of challenges for Puuwai—or “Puu,” as his caregivers affectionately call him. The cardiac team determined that the optimal cardiac support for Puu would be a less common type of VAD that allows for intense rehabilitation opportunities. This way, his rehab team would be able to use their expertise and creativity to safely provide him with the rehabilitation activities needed to help him regain strength and return to play.

After a lot of hard work and some hard days, Puu continues to shine brightly as he has won over the hearts of his care teams. Now, he is riding scooter boards, going on scavenger hunts, and walking the halls with the biggest smiles as he pushes forward in his pursuit of a heart.

Read the full story: https://bit.ly/4dEtaPF

05/27/2025

A team of Stanford Medicine Children's Health heart specialists from Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center, led by our surgical director of CVICU and of Global Cardiac Care, Shaun Setty, MD, went on a surgical mission to Fiji to operate on children with congenital heart disease.

The humanitarian trip was partly supported by the Thoracic Surgery Foundation and the Sai Prema Foundation, an organization that supports the entire South Pacific, as the region doesn’t have access to pediatric heart care.

Our Stanford Medicine Children’s Health team performed a variety of surgeries in Fiji, including procedures to treat obstructed total anomalous pulmonary venous return, severely cyanotic tetralogy of Fallot, atrioventricular septal defect, ventricular septal defect, and atrial septal defect.

Meet the CVICU team members who were part of this humanitarian mission: Shaun Setty, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon and team lead; Roberto Quinones, cardiovascular registered nurse; Jessica Liebman, surgical physician assistant; Meghna Patel, MD, pediatric cardiac care intensivist; Gurpreet Dhillon, MD, pediatric cardiac care intensivist; Nirali Thakker and Nina-Rizza Panaligan, nurse practitioners in the Stanford Children’s Intensive Care Unit; and Rachal Dorval, ICU registered nurse.

05/22/2025

Claudia Algaze, MD, has always been committed to helping heart patients who need complex care as well as finding better ways to care for patients, especially those with multiple needs. Under her leadership as the director of the Cardiovascular Connective Tissue Disorders Program , we provide the highest quality of care to children with complex forms of connective tissue disorders.

Outside of her clinical role, Dr. Algaze has partnered with national organizations as well as attending and co-organizing events to spread awareness of the impact that connective tissue disorders such as Marfan, Williams, and Loeys-Dietz syndromes can have on children’s hearts; impart her expertise; and bring patients and families together.

Our Cardiovascular Connective Tissue Disorders Program at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health is among the highest-volume centers in the nation.

Learn more about Dr. Algaze and our Cardiovascular Connective Tissue Disorders Program: https://bit.ly/4czg99H

05/19/2025

We’re excited to announce that our Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery team at Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center has expanded with another highly skilled surgeon: Arvind Bishnoi, MD!

Dr. Bishnoi, cardiothoracic surgeon, has an impressive background—he gained a wealth of experience from top national and international institutions where he has performed nearly 3,000 surgeries for congenital heart defects.

Dr. Bishnoi will be utilizing his expertise at Stanford Medicine Children's Health to perform complex repairs for children with pulmonary atresia, ventricular assist device (VAD) implantations for children with heart failure, heart transplants for children in need of a new heart, and hybrid cardiac procedures.

He is dedicated to delivering outstanding care to every pediatric patient he treats, to help children with heart disease not only live longer but also have a high quality of life.

“I ensure that we not only treat the child’s heart defect but also seek to support their hobbies and interests,” said Dr. Bishnoi.

Welcome, Dr. Bishnoi!

05/12/2025

In the spirit of Mental Health Awareness Month, which is observed in May each year, we want to share about our new Thrive program, which was created to help parents and children with heart disease cope better with their condition and live a better quality life. Our Stanford Medicine Children's Health Thrive program offers emotional and social support and mental health care for patients, parents, and families across our Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center and is one of a handful of such programs in the nation.

Our robust multispecialty team includes pediatric cardiologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers, as well as critical care specialists, cardiac neurodevelopmental specialists, Child Life and Creative Arts specialists, parent mentors, palliative care experts, and chaplains—to ensure the right, multilayered care.

For us, emotional, social, and mental health care are not extras, they are a part of your child’s heart care and a vital standard of care for our Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center patients and families. Learn more about the Thrive program: https://bit.ly/3Z9KnKD

Address

Stanford, CA

Telephone

+16507212121

Website

http://heart.stanfordchildrens.org/

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