If your child has a large or complex congenital heart defect, he or she may need open-heart surgery. The kind of surgery will depend on what defect the child has. In general, the types of surgery are:
- Closing holes or blood vessels that have either formed or not closed. Usually, a patch or stitches are used.
- Widening arteries.
- Repairing or replacing valves that are too tight or that leak too much.
- Returning the aorta or pulmonary arteries to the right position.
- Repairing narrowed valves.