Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Reports Continued Excellence in Pediatric Cardiovascular Program

Quality Demonstrated by Low Mortality Rate, Unique Programs and New Measures That Get Patients Home Sooner

Falls Church, VA – (July 28, 2010) – Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children is proud to release its 2009 Pediatric Cardiac Outcomes Report, which demonstrates the program’s excellence, continued growth and dedication toward building the most advanced program in the region.

In 2009, Inova surgeons performed 278 pediatric and 42 adult congenital surgeries with a 1.1 percent mortality rate (30 days from surgery). This rate is below the expected mortality rate of 1.3 percent. Inova credits the low rate to the quality of surgery and care provided post-operatively.

The surgical team has the ability to treat the most acute heart conditions soon after birth and in the tiniest of babies. In 2009, babies requiring heart surgery weighed an average of seven pounds, the smallest baby weighed less than 5 pounds.

Several unique programs contribute to the overall quality of the pediatric cardiac program and include the following:

• Cardiac Feeding Team: A team consisting of two cardiac nurses, a registered dietician and a speech language pathologist, that addresses feeding issues in children after surgery. Since the team’s inception, the average length of stay for these patients has decreased by eight days.
• Center for Coordinated Fetal Care: The Center helps pregnant women whose unborn children have been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. A patient navigator helps families through every step of the process, from the initial diagnosis and the birth of the baby, to the surgery and arrival home.
• Adult Congenital Heart Clinic: With improved survival of children with congenital heart defects, it is critical to care for these children through adulthood. Patients receive the expertise of both pediatric specialists at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children and adult cardiologists at the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute.

In 2010, the hospital has continued to advance its pediatric cardiovascular program. This year a team of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons successfully performed two hybrid Norwood procedures in one day on newborns. This procedure uses the most advanced techniques and is done by just a handful of hospitals across the country. To read the 2009 report, including families’ stories in their own words, click here.

Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children is a 186-bed full-service children’s hospital devoted to the healthcare of infants, children and adolescents. It is Northern Virginia’s only pediatric tertiary care center and includes a full-service pediatric emergency department, the area’s only pediatric intensive care unit and the region’s largest neonatal intensive care unit.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research. Inova provides a healthy environment for its patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians by prohibiting tobacco use on its campuses.