Dallas
214-456-2333
Fax: 214-456-2714
Request an Appointment with codes: Cardiology (Heart Center)
Some babies are born with a heart valve that didn’t develop properly. When the aortic valve isn’t well formed, it forces the heart to work harder to pump blood to the body. The extra strain can lead to heart failure.
The Ross procedure is heart surgery that replaces the aortic valve with another of the child’s own heart valves. The complex procedure requires a team with advanced training, skills and experience, like our pediatric cardiac surgeons at the Heart Center at Children’s Health.
Your child may need a Ross procedure for severe aortic valve disease, such as aortic stenosis, that can’t be repaired
The aortic valve helps keep blood flowing through the heart in the right direction. When properly formed, the valve has three leaflets (flaps) that open and close with each heartbeat. In babies born with aortic valve disease, their valve may have only one or two leaflets, or the leaflets might be thick and stiff.
In the Ross procedure, surgeons replace the aortic valve with the child’s own pulmonary valve. They use a human donor valve to replace the pulmonary valve.
The Ross procedure has several advantages compared to other heart valve replacement or repair techniques:
The Ross procedure is a long and technically demanding surgery. Risk factors vary, depending on your child's size and other health problems. Your care team will discuss your child's specific risks with you.
Possible risks related to the Ross procedure include:
The pediatric heart surgery team at Children’s Health performs eight to 15 Ross procedures each year, with excellent outcomes for children of all ages.
If your child needs a Ross procedure, you’ll likely have many questions. Your child’s care team can provide answers, and here’s what you can expect with the Ross procedure.
The day before the surgery, you’ll bring your child to a preoperative visit.
The care team will review:
Your child may need some tests, which may include:
The Ross procedure takes several hours, so be prepared to spend most of the day at our Heart Center.
You and your child will come in the morning to check in and prepare for the surgery. You then meet with the anesthesiologist, the doctor who oversees anesthesia during your child’s procedure. Then you and your child will meet the surgeon and other members of the surgical team, including advanced practice providers and nurses.
The steps of the Ross procedure:
After the surgery, we take your child to the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) to begin recovery. Our specialized CICU nurses closely monitor your child as they wake up, checking their vital signs, such as their heart rate, breathing and blood pressure. For a Ross procedure, the typical hospital stay is 1-2 days in the CICU followed by 3-5 days in a regular inpatient unit.
The care team helps you prepare for your child to come home with instructions for:
After your child goes home:
Your child needs lifelong care with a cardiologist to monitor their heart health and check for possible complications from the procedure. Your child may also need to take antibiotics before certain medical or dental procedures to prevent an infection of the heart valves.
Thinking about being in the hospital and having surgery can be overwhelming at any age.
To help your child get ready for their procedure you can:
Our child life specialists provide personalized support to help your child and family prepare for hospital stays and procedures. Find out more about the therapies, education and activities our child life team provides. If you would like to speak with a child life specialist, please call us at 214-456-6280.
At Children’s Health, our heart surgeons, cardiologists and their teams are here to answer all your questions about aortic valve disease and the Ross procedure.
Some questions you may want to ask include:
The Ross procedure is part of a comprehensive heart valve disease program that offers all treatments for aortic valve disease, including:
You can find more details about what to expect with heart surgery, including what to bring.
We encourage parents to stay with their children in the hospital. Before you arrive, please check our current visiting hours and policies for up-to-date information about staying with your child.
See our suggestions for what to bring for your own overnight stay and what to expect for your child’s heart surgery.
If your child experiences an emergency, please call 911.
If you have questions that aren’t urgent, please contact your child’s care team at the phone number they provided you. The main phone number for The Heart Center is 214-456-2333.