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The Institute is among handful of pediatric programs nationally offering the Ozaki Technique to repair aortic and pulmonary valves in children
Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute has successfully performed an innovative pulmonary heart valve repair utilizing a complex and unique technique known as the Ozaki procedure, becoming the first known pediatric program in the state of Florida to do so and among only a select group of pediatric health systems globally. The Ozaki procedure, developed as an alternative to traditional valve replacement, involves reconstructing the patient’s valve using their own pericardial tissue.
The Heart Institute also performs the Ozaki technique on children in need of aortic valve repair, further positioning the program at the forefront of complex pediatric cardiac surgery.
For children, this approach offers significant potential benefits, including improved valve function and durability, reduced risk of complications, and the possibility of growth of the reconstructed valve as the child grows.
Dr. David Kalfa, chief of cardiovascular surgery and co-director of the Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute, said the milestone reflects a critical advancement for families across the region.
“Offering both the pulmonary and aortic Ozaki procedures represents an important leap forward for pediatric cardiac care in South Florida,” said Dr. Kalfa. “These techniques allow us to rebuild a child’s valve using their own tissue, giving many young patients the opportunity for better long-term outcomes and fewer operations. We are proud to bring this level of innovation to the children and families who rely on us.”
Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute is a nationally recognized leader in the treatment of congenital and acquired heart conditions in infants, children and adolescents with congenital heart disease.
About Nicklaus Children’s, Where Your Child Matters Most
For 75 years, Nicklaus Children’s has stood as a beacon of hope for children and families across the state of Florida and beyond. Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South Florida’s #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children serving close to 70 percent of children in the Miami metropolitan community. In addition, Nicklaus Children’s offers care within NCH North Hospital in Naples, Jupiter Medical Center’s De George Pediatric Unit and select Baptist Health Hospital pediatric emergency units. The hospital and its network of nearly 35 outpatient care locations offer lifesaving care in Miami-Dade, Broward, Martin and Palm Beach counties. These outpatient locations include an array of urgent care, pediatric primary care, and subspecialty care centers and are either hospital-based or outpatient locations under Nicklaus Children’s Pediatric Specialists, LLC (NCPS). Providing a pipeline of future physicians and groundbreaking research, Nicklaus Children’s is an academic and clinical affiliate of Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Nicklaus Children’s is home to centers of excellence including the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children’s Orthopedics, Sports Medicine and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children’s Neuroscience Institute and Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute. The 325-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children’s also includes a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary with over 40 specialties, and an ambulatory surgery center. For more information visit nicklauschildrens.org.
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