US-based non-profit healthcare system Driscoll Children’s Hospital Heart Centre has unveiled its $100m expansion, enhancing paediatric heart care across South Texas.
The facility now includes over 50,000ft2 of cardiac care space, featuring two advanced operating rooms, and two advanced cardiac catheterisation labs.
It also features a 35-bed Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), aiming to improve treatment for children with heart conditions.
Driscoll paediatric cardiology medical director Dr Daniel McKenna said: “Every child we care for is helped by a hundred hands, every person in our program plays a role in that child’s outcome.
“This expansion ensures that our entire team has the best resources to provide the highest level of care.”
The expansion builds on Driscoll Heart Centre’s impressive surgical outcomes.
Over the past four years, the centre has performed more than 600 congenital heart surgeries with a 98.5% survival rate, surpassing national benchmarks.
The achievements place Driscoll among the top programmes in North America, according to data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
Driscoll clinical operations vice president Karen Long said: “This expansion is more than just adding space, it’s about ensuring that every child receives the best possible care with the latest advancements in pediatric cardiology and surgery.
“We are making an unparalleled commitment to the children and families of South Texas, ensuring they have access to world-class heart care without leaving home.”
Driscoll Heart Centre specialises in treating complex congenital heart conditions, offering multidisciplinary care from a team of over 40 specialists.
The centre aims to perform over 500 paediatric heart surgeries annually, increasing surgical capacity and recruiting additional cardiologists and specialised staff.
It has opened a cardiology clinic in El Paso, expanding services to West Texas.
The upcoming launch of the Mobile ECMO Programme will provide extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for critical cardiac cases in South Texas.
Driscoll paediatric cardiac surgery chief and heart centre medical director Stephen Langley said: “Paediatric heart surgery demands precision, expertise, and a commitment to progress.
“At Driscoll, every case is part of a continuum, each advancement builds on the last, driving better outcomes and greater possibilities for our patients.
“This expansion strengthens that mission, equipping us to take on more complex cases and push the boundaries of what we can achieve in paediatric heart care.”
