Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia
Our team specializes in providing anesthesia and sedation for children of all ages who are having heart surgery, and in many cases non-cardiac surgery or studies at the hospital.
Pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists are involved with your child’s care before, during and after surgery. We work closely with our heart surgeons, pediatric cardiologists and cardiac critical care physicians to provide anesthesia and sedation for patients who are having heart surgery or other procedures.
Our team members are board-certified in pediatric anesthesiology with specialized training or experience in pediatric cardiac anesthesia. This training and experience helps in caring for children with heart conditions and provides a unique understanding of the needs of these patients. We know that every child is different and create anesthesia care plans tailored to your child’s individual condition.
Being in the hospital can also make a child feel nervous or frightened – we use our experience in working with children to help our patients feel calm and comfortable during their care.
We also follow our patients throughout their care as they grow, and work closely with other specialists throughout the hospital. If your child needs anesthesia or sedation during treatment for another non-cardiac condition, we will evaluate their treatment plan to ensure they are receiving the anesthesia or sedation that meets their needs as a heart patient.
What is anesthesia and sedation?
General anesthesia allows the patient to remain asleep and unaware of his or her surroundings during a surgery. Sedation is a type of anesthesia that may be used when a deeper general anesthetic isn’t needed, typically during more minor or non-surgical procedures. It may be used during procedures that require a child to remain very still for an extended period, like an MRI. Patients may also receive sedation after surgery while they are recovering in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) depending on their condition and recovery needs.
Your child’s pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist will determine the anesthesia or sedation plan that meets your child’s needs with his or her safety and comfort at the forefront, based on our experience and the best research available. The Department of Anesthesia at Johns Hopkins All Children’s participates in Wake Up Safe, a national pediatric anesthesia safety initiative sponsored by the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia.
What to Expect
Your child will have a preoperative appointment one to two days before surgery to meet with the care team and make sure your child is ready for surgery. During this appointment, the pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist will meet with your family to discuss the plan for anesthesia or sedation and answer any questions you may have.
On the day of surgery, your child’s pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist will closely monitor your child throughout his or her entire procedure, from the time they receive anesthesia through the time they wake up.
Our What to Expect page has more information about what to expect the day of your child’s heart surgery, including where to go, when to arrive, how to help your child get ready for anesthesia, and more.
If you have any questions about your child’s care, please give us a call at 727-767-3333. We’re here to answer your questions.
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Dr. Vyas Kartha Plays a Reassuring Role
For Vyas Kartha, M.D., pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist, seeing his aunt’s career as an anesthesiologist served as inspiration for his own path into the field. He talks about what led him to pediatric anesthesia in particular, and how he connects with patients and families.
