History of Joseph S. Bruno Pediatric Heart Center

Dr. Champ Lyons performing cardiac surgery at UAB

The storied history of UAB Congenital heart Surgery dates back to Dr. Champ Lyons and the early days of open heart surgery. In 1966, John Kirklin, MD, a cardiac surgical pioneer who performed the world’s first series of open heart operations using a heart lung machine, moved from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to UAB. He joined forces with pediatric cardiology pioneer Dr. Mac Bargeron to begin a dynasty in the care of patients with congenital heart disease. Kirklin and his colleagues made numerous seminal contributions, including the first computer automated care of cardiac surgical cases. Dr. Al Pacifico followed Dr. Kirklin as the Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Dr. Ed Colvin took over the mantel from Dr. Bargeron in pediatric cardiology.

When Dr. James K. Kirklin was appointed Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 2006, he teamed with Dr. Yung Lau and his pediatric cardiology colleagues and Dr. Jeffrey Alten, Chief of Pediatric CV Intensive Care, to build a truly multi-disciplinary program that provides expert care across the spectrum of congenital heart disease from the fetus to the adult. Dr. Kirklin, along with his surgical, cardiology, intensivist, and anesthesia colleagues, created the vision of a single platform of care. They collaborated with Children’s CEO Mike Warren and his powerful administrative team to create this spectacular platform with its epicenter at the new Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children.

Cardiovascular Services Group The Joseph S. Bruno Pediatric Heart Center at Children’s of Alabama is a comprehensive cardiac center with over 350 staff members specially trained to care for patients with congenital and acquired cardiac conditions.

The Center performs:

Over 525 cardiac surgeries in 2024
9 heart transplants in 2024 and 9 ventricular assist device (VAD) implants
More than 865 cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology procedures performed in 2024
Over 5,450 transthoracic and 720 transesophageal echocardiograms performed in 2024 (excludes cardiology clinic)
Over 12,900 outpatient cardiology clinic visits in 2024

The Center offers:

2 dedicated cardiac operating rooms
State of the art hybrid catheterization lab/operating suite
2 catheterization labs with rotational angiography
3-dimensional electrophysiologic mapping minimizing fluoroscopic radiation
20 room CVICU with 4 dedicated CV-ECMO suites all equipped with sleeping quarters, shower, lavatory, and television with internet access for 24/7 family rooming in
16 bed Cardiac Care Unit (CCU), step-down telemetry unit
Advanced noninvasive cardiac imaging: Cardiovascular MRI and 256 slice cardiac CT scanner with minimal radiation
Active ventricular assist device and ELSO certified ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) programs
A specialized cardiac support team including respiratory therapists, child life, social work, pharmacists, dietitian, and speech, occupational and physical therapists
A comprehensive Fetal Heart Program with customized delivery plans for neonates with complex diagnoses
Extended care into adulthood through collaboration with the Adult Congenital Heart Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Single platform of care:

The novel design of facilities involving both Children's of Alabama and University of Alabama at Birmingham embodies a visionary concept which allows the patient (whether still in the womb, a newborn, a teenager or an adult) to receive care in an environment best suited for his/her health needs. The Joseph S. Bruno Pediatric Heart Center located in the Benjamin Russell hospital for Children physically links the pediatric cardiac center with the newborn suites of the Women and Infants Center and then to the adult congenital heart surgery facilities at UAB. This provides a continuum of care for patients with congenital heart disease and allows our multidisciplinary team of specialists to move efficiently from one end of the platform to the other.