re: Pediatric Heart Specialist

Thanks for all the answers. I deeply appreciate them.

Let me be the fourth ITT to recommend Young. I had two heart surgeries at Oschner NOLA as a kid, and Dr. Young has been my cardiologist for a long time (Oschner keeps your pediatric team in-place until you are in your young 20s).

Anyway, since he knew me and my file, he still handles my yearly check-ups (I'm in my young 30s now). My wife and I have a little one on the way, and he is already looking to line up tests to check on baby Bockrath to see if I passed along my heart defect. I could not speak more highly of the guy. I live in BR now, but I will gladly drive to NO for me and little one to stay under his care.

none of the pediatric cardiologists in Baton Rouge do surgeries, they might do heart caths but all surgeries are sent to New Orleans for less complicated cases or out of state for more complicated surgeries.

With the new children's hospital in Baton Rouge, I believe the plan is to start doing them but it takes time to build a staff and medical team that can handle all the potential complications you can have. The last thing you want is to have medical procedures somewhere that doesn't have the expertise you need because in those instances you will have to be flown somewhere in an emergency.

The pediatric cardiologists in Baton Rouge usually send their patients to Boston Children's Hospital and once you are an established patient, they will continue the treatment for life.

The surgeries are usually successful, it's the recovery that is difficult. Make sure you check success rates.
Boston is in the 90% + for success rate.

Operating on the heart is a very complicated issue and a lot of things can impact it once you get in there and start changing things.

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need recommendations on kids cardiac specialist

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Lafayette,La

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Dr. Albert Gutierrez.

Personal experience for me as well. I had a daughter born with an ASD and cleft in her mitral valve. We were told by a pediatric cardiologist before she was born that surgery would be required. At 2.5, we started meeting with the pediatric cardiologist at Texas Children's in Houston. Dr. Penny is the cardiologist. We scheduled surgery and everything was successful. Dr. Fraser performed the surgery, I think he's in Dallas now. The facilities, the staff, the care was above and beyond excellent. As stressful as that day was, they do everything possible to help you get through it. My daughter turns 9 in a month and you'd never know anything was ever done to her, incision scar is barely visible. I'll donate money every year to that place until I'm gone.....best of luck and prayers for your family

Dr. Kattash in Lake Charles. Highly recommended. My Kids were born 10 weeks early and all had similar/same issues as you have it sounds. We loved him..

And let me just say that even when the Lake's children's hospital is up and running to do everything, either go to New Orleans or go somewhere where the staff is actually competent. The new shiny building is just that. Anywhere but BR.

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Personal experience for me as well. I had a daughter born with an ASD and cleft in her mitral valve. We were told by a pediatric cardiologist before she was born that surgery would be required. At 2.5, we started meeting with the pediatric cardiologist at Texas Children's in Houston. Dr. Penny is the cardiologist. We scheduled surgery and everything was successful. Dr. Fraser performed the surgery, I think he's in Dallas now. The facilities, the staff, the care was above and beyond excellent. As stressful as that day was, they do everything possible to help you get through it. My daughter turns 9 in a month and you'd never know anything was ever done to her, incision scar is barely visible. I'll donate money every year to that place until I'm gone.....best of luck and prayers for your family

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Another vote for Texas Children's. They are currently ranked #1 in pediatric cardiology in the U.S. Our 2yo son has modified HLHS. He had his Norwood performed at a week old and Glenn done at about 3mo. He will have his Fontan done when he is about 4 if things stay as planned. His surgeon was Dr. Carlos Mery.

Dr. Mery and Dr. Fraser(mentioned above) moved to Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin and opened a new pediatric cardiology center. As much as we would like to stay at Texas Children's, we will follow Mery to Dell Children's since he is familiar with our son's heart and is one of the best in the world.

Les Hixon is pediatric cardiologist in BR. Good guy.