- Cardiac surgeons at the Queensland Children’s Hospital have performed more than 4,360 heart surgeries on almost 3,000 children and young people since the hospital opened.
- The Queensland Children’s Hospital is one of only three hospitals in Australia accredited to provide training in paediatric cardiac surgery.
- In 2024, the Queensland Children’s Hospital is celebrating 10 years of providing the best care for sick and injured Queensland children and young people.
Almost 3,000 children have received life-saving heart surgeries at the Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH) since it opened in 2014.
The hospital’s 40-strong paediatric cardiac surgical team has performed more than 4,360 surgeries, some on children as young as a day old.
Around one in 100 Australian kids are born with Childhood onset Heart Disease (CoHD) and there are more than 30,000 children living with the condition.
Queensland Children’s Hospital Director of Cardiac Surgery and one of only 11 paediatric cardiac surgeons in Australia, Dr Prem Venugopal, said the highly skilled multidisciplinary team had performed surgery on almost 3,000 children and young people.
“These complex procedures are often performed in the first few days of a child’s life to correct life-threatening congenital heart defects and conditions. These surgeries are technically challenging, in some instances babies weigh less than 2kg with a heart the size of a small strawberry,” he said.
As one of only three hospitals in Australia to be accredited to train in paediatric cardiac surgery, Dr Venugopal said that the hospital was leading the way in trialling pioneering and innovative surgical techniques to advance treatment for children with CoHD.
“We’re proud to have been the first hospital in Australia and New Zealand to perform the PEARS (Personalised External Aortic Root Support) procedure on children in 2019. The innovative procedure involves placing a 3D designed mesh patch custom-made to match the aortic root of a patient to provide support and prevent it from enlarging or rupturing,” he said.
“This procedure means children no longer need to undergo a complex root replacement with a mechanical valve and rely on lifelong medications which restrict participation in high-intensity activity like most sports.”
Outside the hospital, the team is providing more culturally safe care and support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people needing heart surgery in Far North Queensland.
Through the Bridging the Heart Gap program, Dr Venugopal said they had partnered with Cairns Base Hospital, the Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service Aboriginal Corporation and local healthcare providers to connect with patients and their families via vital telehealth in their community.
“The program aims to build trust and a personal connection with families while they are still on country, so they feel more connected to their treating team and know what to expect when they arrive for surgery at the Queensland Children's Hospital,” he said.
Mackay Identical twins Albert and Benson Tass were among the first patients to undergo open-heart surgery when the Queensland Children’s Hospital opened in November 2014.
Parents Maria Cunliffe and Farron Tass found out at a 22-week-scan that the twins both had cardiac conditions before being born early at 37 weeks, just two days before the hospital opened.
“Albert was born with Pulmonary Atresia, where the pulmonary valve fails to develop, while Benson’s condition, Tetralogy of Fallot, affects normal blood flood through the heart,” she said.
Ms Cunliffe said the twins and their older brother Eliegh, spent much of their early years travelling to and from North Queensland for treatment, including spending their first two Christmas’s in hospital.
“Between the two boys, they’ve had five surgeries to correct their conditions.”
While they will likely require further surgery in the future, Ms Cunliffe said the boys were doing well and looking forward to celebrating their 10th birthday later this year.
“The boys are active and rugby league mad, having spent the past four years playing in the local competition for the North Mackay Devils,” she said.
“I can’t thank the cardiac team and the staff at the Queensland Children’s Hospital enough for their ongoing support for our family.”
Children’s Health Queensland Chief Executive Frank Tracey commended Dr Venugopal and his team for providing a decade of life-changing treatment and care for ‘heart kids’ at the QCH.
“Learning your child has a heart condition that requires surgery can be a terrifying prospect for parents and carers, but thanks to the world-class expertise and skills of the surgical teams at the Queensland Children’s Hospital, these children can go on to live full, healthy lives,” he said.
“Over the past decade our specialist cardiac team has improved the outcomes of countless children and young people with heart conditions through world-class care, research, advocacy and leadership.”
“The specialised nature of their work means they care for children and young people from across Queensland and northern NSW and even Western Australia.”
“Outside the hospital, our statewide service has also improved access to quality care across Queensland through outreach clinics and the use of telehealth to ensure children and young people can access the care they need closer to home,” he said.