Inova’s cardiac surgery program provides patients with a continuum of care that spans a lifetime.
At Inova Children’s Heart Center, we understand how daunting it can be when your child needs heart surgery. Our pediatric cardiac surgery center is dedicated to providing the highest level of care, combining cutting-edge technology, surgical expertise and compassionate support for your family.
Why choose Inova for your child's cardiac surgery?
Surgical expertise: Inova's surgical team has over 20 years of experience with a track record of excellent surgical results across all complexity STAT categories.
Our newly hired chief of pediatric cardiac surgery, Dr. Chawki Elzein, has performed over 4,000 surgical procedures on patients of all age groups, from neonates to adults with congenital heart diseases.
Dr. Elzein has a track record of excellent surgical outcomes; his overall mortality and complication rates are much better than the national average mortality and complication rates reported to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons congenital heart surgery national database.
Comprehensive care: Our surgeons work with patients, their parents and a collaborative care team to determine the best course of treatment, with the goal of providing optimal outcomes and improving the patient's quality of life.
State-of-the-art facilities: Our operating rooms are equipped with the latest technology to ensure the best outcomes. Our Pediatric Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (PCICU) provides around-the-clock monitoring and care in a child-friendly environment, staffed by pediatric cardiac intensivists with 24- hour, in-house coverage.
Family-centered care: We believe in involving families in every step of the treatment process. Our team provides clear communication, emotional support, and resources to help you feel confident and informed.
Easy accessibility: Inova Children’s Heart Center has an open-door policy for in-person and virtual consultations and second opinions, for patients across the United States and internationally. The children’s hospital and the women’s hospital are in one building, so it is easy for post-partum mothers to visit their newborns if they are admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.
Chief, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery
Chawki Elzein, MD
Dr. Chawki Elzein is a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon and serves as the current Co-Director of Inova Children’s Heart Center. Dr. Elzein is the Bechara Akl Endowed Chair of Congenital Heart Surgery and Chief of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at Inova. He joined Inova in 2024 with over 24 years of experience in pediatric cardiac surgery.
Prior to joining Inova, Dr. Elzein was a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Illinois. He has given many presentations at national meetings and authored over 50 manuscripts and book chapters.
Dr. Elzein has performed over 5,000 surgeries as a surgeon and first assistant. As a primary surgeon, he has performed over 100 Norwood procedures, 150 arterial switch operations with and without ventricular septal defects, 75 interrupted aortic arch repairs, 50 truncus arteriosus repair, 75 total anomalous pulmonary venous return repairs, 300 Glenn and 300 Fontan operations, 300 complete atrioventricular canal repairs, 300 tetralogy of Fallot repairs, 150 aortic valve repairs, 150 mitral valve repairs, and hundreds of other complex surgical procedures to repair ventricular and atrial septal defects, correct aortic coarctation, and replace pulmonary valves.
Pediatric and congenital cardiothoracic surgeon
Lucas R. Collazo, MD
Dr. Lucas Collazo is a board-certified cardiac, thoracic and congenital heart surgeon. He joined Inova Medical Group with more than 20 years of clinical experience. He has a special interest in the surgical management of congenital heart disease in children and adults.
Dr. Collazo is the Medical Director of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Surgery and serves as the Surgical Director of Inova's Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program. He became interested in congenital cardiac and thoracic surgery during medical school after rotating on the pediatric cardiothoracic surgery service. As a congenital cardiac surgeon, he is able to care for children, teenagers and adults who have congenital heart disease.
- Adult congenital heart disease: medical and surgical management
- Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA): surgical repair
- Anomalous pulmonary veins: surgical repair
- Aortic valve disease: percutaneous management and surgical repair
- Aortic and mitral atresia: Norwood procedure, hybrid bilateral pulmonary artery banding and patent ductus arteriosus stenting
- Aortopulmonary window: percutaneous and surgical repair
- Arrhythmia surgery
- Arterial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries
- Atrial septal defects: device closure in the cardiac catheterization suite and surgical repair
- Atrial isomerism and heterotaxy syndrome: single ventricle and biventricular repair
- Atrioventricular canal: surgical repair
- Cardiac tumors: surgical resection
- Cardiomyopathy: medical management with possibility of mechanical support
- Coarctation of the aorta: surgical repair using various surgical techniques
- Complex congenital heart disease
- Congenital coronary artery anomalies: surgical repair by unroofing or reimplantation
- Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries: double switch procedure (arterial switch and Mustard’s atrial switch procedures) or Mustard-Rastelli operation
- Coronary fistula: percutaneous cardiac catheter coiling or surgical ligation
- Cor Triatriatum: surgical resection
- Double outlet right ventricle: surgical repair
- Ebstein’s anomaly: cone procedure and other types of tricuspid valve repair, tricuspid valve replacement
- Genetic heart diseases: including Marfan syndrome and Loyes Dietz syndrome associated aortopathy: valve-sparing aortic root replacement
- Heterotaxy syndrome: complex intracardiac reconstruction for biventricular repair or single ventricle repair
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: medical management or surgical resection of subaortic stenosis due to hypertrophied septum
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS): Norwood procedure with Sano shunt or systemic to pulmonary shunt, selective use of hybrid bilateral pulmonary artery banding and stenting of patent ductus arteriosus
- Interrupted aortic arch: surgical repair
- Marfan syndrome: valve-sparing aortic root replacement
- Mitral valve disease: mitral valve repair with or without a ring, mitral valve replacement
- Myocarditis acute and chronic: medical management, ventricular mechanical support
- Patent ductus arteriosus: percutaneous device closure by cardiac catheterization, surgical closure
- Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO): percutaneous device closure by cardiac catheterization and surgical closure
- Pulmonary atresia, with and without VSD
- Pulmonary artery stenosis: percutaneous ballooning or stenting, surgical repair
- Pulmonary stenosis: percutaneous ballooning or surgical repair
- Pulmonary hypertension: medical management
- Pulmonary valve disease: percutaneous and surgical management options
- Pulmonary vein stenosis: percutaneous and surgical management options including the sutureless repair technique
- Scimitar syndrome: surgical repair
- Single ventricle: specialized clinic and management group, surgical palliation with bidirectional Glenn and Fontan procedures
- Subaortic membrane: surgical resection, modified Konno and Konno procedures
- Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF): surgical repair
- Total anomalous pulmonary venous return/connection: surgical repair
- Transposition of the great arteries: surgical repair with arterial switch operation
- Tricuspid atresia: surgical staged palliation with shunt or pulmonary artery banding, followed by bidirectional Glenn and Fontan procedures
- Truncus arteriosus: surgical repair
- Vascular ring: surgical repair
- Ventricular inversion: surgical repair
- Ventricular septal defects: surgical repair
At Inova Children's, multidisciplinary collaboration ensures the best care possible for every patient:
- Our surgical team includes two full-time pediatric cardiac surgeons experienced in all aspects of pediatric and congenital cardiac surgery, dedicated physician assistants, nurse first assistants, anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, perfusionists and operating room nurses.
- Following surgery, cardiac-focused intensivists and nurse practitioners care for patients in the PCICU.
- As patients progress toward discharge, the surgical team, cardiologists, case managers, occupational and physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, Child Life Specialists, and a dietitian coordinate and guide care.
We participate in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons congenital heart surgery national database to ensure the highest quality care. Inova's results are comparable to the country’s leading pediatric heart centers. The ability to benchmark our performance is a powerful tool that drives our improvement efforts.