Pediatric Heart Surgery Outcomes

Our Patient Survival Rates Are Among the Highest in the U.S.

The Duke Pediatric Heart Center is one of the nation's best for newborns and children with congenital heart defects. Our patient survival rates are among the highest in the U.S., a notable achievement considering our pediatric heart surgeons perform hundreds of operations every year on very sick children who require advanced, complex care. Our team's skill, expertise, and commitment to high-quality patient care help our patients grow and develop into healthy, productive adults.

#3 in Nation and #1 in NC for Pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery

Duke Children’s is ranked the #3 pediatric cardiology program in the nation and the best in North Carolina by U.S. News & World Report.

Why Choose Duke

Duke's pediatric heart surgery patient outcomes are among the best in the country.
Duke pediatric heart surgeons pioneered new techniques for some of the most challenging heart surgeries being performed on tiny babies today. These operations reduce risk and are better tolerated.
Duke pediatric heart surgeons perform significantly more very complicated operations than many other centers nationally.

We encourage you to compare Duke Pediatric Heart Center's volume and outcomes data with other institutions.

Understanding Surgical Volume and Outcomes Data

If your child needs heart surgery, it is important to consider how often their required operation is performed at a hospital (this is referred to as "volume") and to compare statistics on patient survival and absence of complications ("outcomes") with other programs.

Volume data is important because studies show that patients typically experience better outcomes at hospitals where surgeons perform more operations. This is because doctors have more experience with these operations and are more adept at choosing the right patient for the right surgery.
Outcomes data shows whether the operation was successful, how well a patient recovered, and whether they avoided complications. This is highly individualized to the type of operation and the complexity associated with the patient's condition.

Having a basic understanding of volume and outcomes data can help you make an informed decision about where to go for your child's care. We've made that easier for you by providing publicly reported data and internal data that we collect.

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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Public Database

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to ensure patients receive the highest quality care. The organization maintains several public databases and reports. The report on congenital heart defect surgeries is titled Congenital Heart Surgery Public Reporting.

Data for this report is collected from hospitals with congenital heart surgery programs in the U.S. and Canada. The operations are sorted into categories called "STATs" from 1 to 5 based on the risk of death.

The lowest-risk operations are categorized as STAT 1.
The high-risk operations are categorized are STAT 5.

Duke pediatric heart surgeons perform significantly more high-risk STAT 4 and 5 operations than many other centers nationally.

The chart below shows the number of congenital heart operations by STAT level performed at Duke from 2021 through 2025. It includes total operations (all ages) as well as operations for newborns (0 to 30 days old). Select the buttons to toggle between data for all patients and newborns only.

Heart Operations by STAT Category 2021-2025

Select the patient group:

All

Newborns

Source: STS Database, Table 16, July 2021 - June 2025 (All = newborns + infants + adults)

Congenital Heart Defect Surgery Survival Rates

Survival rates indicate the percentage of pediatric patients who underwent a congenital heart defect (CHD) operation, survived their hospitalization, and survived for at least 30 days following their operation. The national average is based on data from the Society for Thoracic Surgeons and can be used to compare each hospital program's outcomes for operations in each STAT category.

A higher number indicates better survival than the national average.

Duke's program is one of the nation's few performing above expected when compared to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons' national average.

Our pediatric patients consistently do better following high-risk operations than the national average.

Survival Rate by STAT Category, Duke vs US (%)

Sources: STS Database, Table 16, July 2021 - June 2025

Duke CHD Surgery Survival Rates

Duke CHD Survival Rates Compared to National Average (%)

Sources: STS Database, Table 18, July 2021 - June 2025

Shorter Wait Times at Duke Compared with Other U.S. Centers

Statistics about pediatric heart transplants are collected by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) and the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network. You can view each hospital's data for pediatric and adult patients, including time on transplant waitlists and the number of transplants performed. View Duke University Hospital's heart transplant data. Patients on Duke’s waitlist receive a heart faster than the national average.

Median Days to Transplant, Duke vs Region vs. U.S.

Source: SRTR Table B10. SRTR January 2026. Region includes Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

This page was medically reviewed on 06/03/2026 by

Joseph (Brian) Clark, MD | Pediatric Heart Surgeon