Practice at the Heart of Pediatric Innovation

Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego is part of Rady Children’s Health, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, with three hospitals, two Level 1 pediatric trauma centers, and a network of care spanning six Southern California counties.

As the region’s leading pediatric academic health system, Rady Children’s brings together nationally recognized clinical expertise, education, research, and innovation to provide comprehensive care for children with routine, complex, and critical medical and surgical needs. Our partnership with UC San Diego School of Medicine supports a strong academic environment and opportunities to advance pediatric medicine through clinical practice, education, and research.

Heart Institute

The Heart Institute at Rady Children's Hospital San Diego is ranked #9 in the nation for Cardiology & Heart Surgery by U.S. News & World Report for 2026-27, providing comprehensive care from fetal diagnosis through adulthood for patients with congenital and acquired heart disease.

Our multidisciplinary program brings together expertise in pediatric cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac critical care, electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, advanced imaging, heart failure, and transplantation. We care for patients across the spectrum of cardiac complexity, including those requiring highly specialized interventions and long-term multidisciplinary management.

Always on the leading edge of innovation, the Heart Institute offers clinical fetal cardiac MRI and partners with the Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine to help diagnose rare and complex diseases. Through clinical expertise, research, advanced technology, and collaboration, we are working to change outcomes for patients and families facing complex heart disease.

Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

The 30-bed Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) is a dedicated cardiac critical care environment caring for patients when they are at their most vulnerable—from newborns requiring immediate cardiac intervention to patients recovering from complex surgery or heart transplantation.

Our team manages a broad range of high-acuity cardiac conditions and advanced therapies, including ECMO and ventricular assist devices. The CTICU works closely with cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, transplant, and other multidisciplinary teams to provide highly coordinated care throughout critical illness and recovery.

Innovation is embedded in our approach to care. Technologies such as Sickbay remote monitoring help clinicians continuously monitor patients and identify changes that may allow for earlier intervention. Our dedicated cardiac environment brings physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and multidisciplinary specialists together to care for some of the region’s most complex pediatric cardiac patients.

Why Practice at Rady Children’s?

Complexity with purpose.
Care for patients across the full spectrum of congenital and acquired heart disease, including some of the most complex cases referred to the region.

A truly multidisciplinary practice.
Work alongside cardiologists, surgeons, intensivists, advanced practice providers, nurses, geneticists, researchers, and other pediatric specialists within an integrated cardiac program.

Innovation at the bedside.
Be part of a program advancing pediatric cardiac care through fetal cardiac MRI, genomic medicine, remote monitoring, ECMO, ventricular assist devices, and other emerging technologies.

Academic medicine and discovery.
Engage in education, research, clinical innovation, and collaboration through our academic partnership with UC San Diego School of Medicine and Rady Children’s research institutes.

A place to make a difference.
Join a team caring for children and families during some of the most consequential moments of their lives—and help shape what pediatric cardiac care looks like next.