Cardiac services

The Cardiorespiratory Unit now compromises cardiothoracic and respiratory services. The Cardiothoracic Unit provides medical and surgical treatment to children with congenital and acquired heart disease. Children are treated from birth until adolescence. The Unit provides a tertiary referral service both nationally and internationally.

The unit also supports six National Commissioning Group (NCG) programmes:

• heart and heart/lung transplantation
• bridge to transplant
• neonatal respiratory ECMO
• paediatric ECMO
• tracheal service
• pulmonary hypertension service.   

Adolescents are transferred to grown up congenital heart (GUCH) programme at the Heart Hospital. 

The unit provides a paediatric cardiology outreach service to 29 hospitals including foetal diagnoses at a number of centres. 

The unit comprises:

• Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
• Ladybird Ward including a high dependency unit, cardiac day ward, clinical physiology, catheter laboratories, cardiac imaging and perfusion.

The Respiratory Service includes the investigation and treatment of children with complex respiratory disease. Patients with cystic fibrosis are part of a shared care network. The Respiratory Unit comprises the respiratory lung function department, sleep service and provides a flexible bronchoscopy service. 

The Unit comprises:

• Badger Ward
• Transitional Care Unit (Miffy Ward)
• Respiratory Laboratory (sleep and lung function) 
• Cystic Fibrosis Service. 

More specific information on the respiratory service can be found at on the Respiratory Medicine and Transitional Care Unit's website.

The Cardiorespiratory Unit has a Clinical Unit Chair, Professor Martin Elliott, General Manager Anne Layther, and a Service Manager, Toby Stockton.