Mending Kids’ Hearts: Children’s of Alabama Raises Awareness for Pediatric Heart Care

Birmingham, Ala.  (Feb.1, 2025) — Every February, Children’s of Alabama celebrates American Heart Month, a time to recognize the patients and families who receive care at our nationally-ranked heart center, the Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center of Alabama.

“This is a comprehensive heart center, which means any heart problem that your child has, we can take care of it,” said Robert Sorabella MD, a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon at Children’s of Alabama. “We have some of the best results in the country.”

The team, which consists of more than 300 staff members, provides pediatric care for thousands of patients annually.  In 2024, the staff performed more than 850 cardiac catheterizations and electrophysiology procedures, as well as more than 525 cardiac surgeries, including nine heart transplants and nine ventricular assist device implants. The center also has 20 private cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) rooms with four dedicated ECMO suites, 16 private intermediate critical care unit (CCU) rooms, two cardiovascular operating rooms, and two cardiac catheterization labs. This “heart hospital within a hospital” represents decades of superior cardiovascular clinical care and research dedicated to children.

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are conditions that are present at birth and can affect the structure of a baby’s heart and how it works. These abnormalities occur when the heart or blood vessels do not form correctly in utero. Some defects are identified at birth. Some don’t show signs until children are older.  In the United States, nearly 40,000 babies are born with a heart defect each year. Survival of infants with CHD and other congenital defects depends on how severe the defect is, when it is diagnosed, and how it is treated.

“The way I see it, no one ever wants to come see us,” said Sorabella. “We understand that, but we should all have the comfort of knowing that we are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to save a child’s life.”

Children’s is a leader in the treatment of CHDs. U.S. News and World Report has ranked Children’s as one of the top 25 centers in the United States for pediatric cardiac care.