First Hybrid Cath Lab in Louisiana at Tulane Hospital for Children

The Pediatric Heart Center at Tulane Hospital for Children has opened the first and only Hybrid Cath Lab in Louisiana. The cutting-edge facility -- one of only 10 in the country -- is a fully equipped pediatric catheterization lab and operating room that allows both cardiologists and surgeons to work side by side to open the chest, place delivery catheters in the heart and deploy devices. Outcomes are improved by avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass and shortened procedure times.

Congenital heart defects affect one out of every 100 births in the United States. Twice as many children in the U.S. die each year from congenital heart disease than die from all forms of childhood cancer combined. Most of these babies are diagnosed shortly after birth or in utero. These children need an early diagnosis and specialized therapies to survive and lead a normal life.

Complex surgeries and procedures on tiny hearts require the latest technologies and the most skilled pediatric specialists in the nation.

"At the Tulane Pediatric Heart Center, we offer state-of-the-art technologies and procedures, tailored specifically to infants and children. These procedures are carried out by a cardiac team with years of experience and impeccable results using the advanced techniques for even the most complex defects," said Dr. Tom Yeh, chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery for Tulane University School of Medicine.