The Benderson Family Heart Center at Boston Children’s Hospital

07/30/2026

A world first for our Heart Center! Our Acute Cardiac Care Unit and Cardiac Intensive Care Unit are now the first cardiac units in the world to earn NIDCAP certification, an internationally recognized distinction. NIDCAP praised the ACCU and CICU for individualized neurodevelopment care. It also highlighted the teamwork, family-centered approach, and commitment that make this achievement possible. Congratulations to our ACCU and CICU teams! 🎉

07/29/2026

A picture can say a thousand words. When an echocardiogram of a heart is run through an AI model, it might reveal an unseen heart condition. Our cardiologists have created an AI model, known as EchoFocus-CHD, that can automatically detect congenital heart defects from echocardiogram videos. They’re still training the model, but early results look promising. Learn about their work: http://ms.spr.ly/6188vhTHC

The global prevalence of congenital heart disease is ~1 case per 100 live births. Disparate access to expert pediatric cardiologist care persists in the United States and more broadly worldwide, with >90% of children in low- and middle-income countries lacking access to cardiovascular care. These co...

07/23/2026

Wyatt and his twin brother, Gavin, were born at 22 weeks. At just over 1 pound, Wyatt became the smallest baby to undergo transcatheter PDA closure through our Premature PDA Closure Program. The procedure closed a blood vessel in his heart that had remained open after birth. Read about the boys: http://ms.spr.ly/6187vAKPF

07/17/2026

Join us next Tuesday!

Register here: https://bostonchildrens.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Y0pA5EqZQtid8-Hmkg3q9A #/registration

Williams syndrome affects growth, development, and other areas of health. Some children with Williams syndrome need specialized heart care to treat midaortic syndrome and other cardiovascular conditions. Boston Children’s helps families by ensuring that their child receives the personalized heart ...

07/13/2026

Williams syndrome affects growth, development, and other areas of health, including the heart. Join Boston Children's experts to learn how personalized evaluation, monitoring, and intervention are helping children with Williams syndrome — including those with midaortic syndrome and other cardiovascular conditions — stay on a path to lifelong heart health.

💙 Cardiac Conversations: Heart care for Williams syndrome
🗓️ Tuesday, July 21st at 5 PM EDT
🔗 Register here: http://ms.spr.ly/6183v0gRc

Williams syndrome affects growth, development, and other areas of health. Some children with Williams syndrome need specialized heart care to treat midaortic syndrome and other cardiovascular conditions. Boston Children’s helps families by ensuring that their child receives the personalized heart ...

06/23/2026

The extreme positioning of superior-inferior ventricles — one almost on top of the other, instead of side by side — is a complex heart defect that typically has limited treatment. Our heart specialists have overcome that complexity by using biventricular repair techniques that give children two functioning ventricles.

Learn more about this approach:

Boston Children’s gives children the use of both ventricles by applying biventricular repair techniques that treat complex heart defects.

05/29/2026

After 5-year-old Emily was diagnosed with an atrial septal defect (ASD), her family searched for an alternative to traditional open-heart surgery. A second opinion request led them to Boston Children’s, where our heart team performed a minimally invasive thoracotomy repair. Just weeks later, she was back to gymnastics and school. Learn more about Emily’s journey and our approach to care: http://ms.spr.ly/6188vZaye

05/27/2026

05/26/2026

Don’t forget to pack slip-on shoes, a muslin blanket, stuffed animals, pictures of family, and other items you’ll want to have at the hospital for your child’s first heart surgery. 🧸 Check out this list of must-bring items compiled by parents who’ve been there and want your family feeling comfortable. 📋

05/26/2026

Join us this Thursday!

Register here: https://bostonchildrens.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8RtrtbvnT0S6uSBXZ3Hr9Q #/registration

Sometimes mistaken for other conditions, thoracic inlet insufficiency (TII) can cause breathing and swallowing difficulties as well as other health issues. A multidisciplinary team of Boston Children’s specialists were the first to classify the unique condition and understand how this can compress...