Research

Children's Memorial has long been a pioneer in the treatment of congenital heart disease and cardiomyopathy in children. Research into causes and outcomes of pediatric heart disease has been a critical component of the Children's Memorial Heart Center since the early 1960s. Approximately eight out of every 1,000 babies born yearly have a heart defect. Over the past 50 years, tremendous technological advances made possible through research have allowed diagnostic and surgical expertise to flourish with better outcomes and longer life expectancy for these patients.

Transplantation research

Transplantation-related research has been directed towards the understanding of mechanisms in chronic rejection, establishment of tolerance and xenotransplantation (using organs from animals).

Surgical research

Surgical research is under way to create better approaches to the surgical management of patients with congenital cardiac birth defects. Several of our recent protocols have been tested in the laboratory and applied soon after in the operating room. The benefit of having research facilities on-site is that clinical programs can begin to use new technologies soon after they have been tested in the lab.