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Cardiology

Surgeon, Inventor, Innovator:

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s Redmond Burke

BY VANESSA ORR fell in love with,” he added. “Luckily, I had surrounded by Silicon Valley high-tech
the dexterity required, and was able to people and innovators,” he said.
For children with congenital heart dis- train with the best surgeons in the world at “Realizing that doctors can’t get better
ease and their families, surgery can be a Children’s Hospital Boston. Then I went unless they can measure their perform-
daunting experience. This is why on to build my own heart program in ance, I worked with some very smart col-
Redmond Burke, M.D., director of cardio- Miami in 1995, and I have never regretted leagues to create the first database for con-
vascular surgery at Nicklaus Children’s one moment of my career choice.” genital heart disease.
Hospital, has made it his life’s mission not As an attending cardiac surgeon at “If you can’t measure your outcomes, Dr. Redmond Burke
only to try to reduce the trauma of care for Children’s Hospital Boston, Dr. Burke pio- you can’t get better,” he continued. “And
each patient over their lifetimes, but to neered minimally invasive interventions it’s not just for doctors, either; moms and with advances in genetic therapy. “The
leverage the power of information technol- using endoscopic surgical techniques for dads need this data to determine how good most thrilling thing that I’ve seen recently
ogy to improve medical outcomes. congenital heart surgery, designing instru- a surgeon is. We all want to think that was the pig heart implanted in an adult
“I always felt like a heart program ments and techniques in the laboratory. He we’re the best, but now there is a platform with end-stage heart failure,” he said. “The
should have a philosophy of care: Why are subsequently performed a series of surgi- that measures outcomes and reports the heart was treated with genetic therapy to
we here?” he explained. “My philosophy is cal firsts, including the world's first endo- results on the Internet.” reduce the rate of rejection.
to reduce the trauma of care for all of the scopic vascular ring division, diaphragm As technology has advanced, Dr. Burke “We need small hearts for small babies,
children we touch with heart defects. plication, and thoracic duct ligation. has not only continued to pioneer revolu- and most innovations that work in adults
“Opening a chest and cutting a heart can After graduating from Stanford tionary surgical procedures, but has also are too big,” he continued. “But if we are
be traumatic for both patients and their University, he received his medical degree embraced innovations that improve able to replace hearts with genetically
families,” he continued. “I wanted to focus from Harvard Medical School and served patient outcomes. modified hearts, it might buy our sickest
on ways of accomplishing surgical goals as chief resident in cardiovascular surgery “The better you can picture an operation babies extra months or even years.”
with less trauma, fewer big incisions, less at Children’s Hospital Boston before in your head, the more likely you are to Even with all of the scientific advance-
bleeding, and less injury to babies’ bodies.” becoming the director of cardiovascular succeed, and virtual reality and 3D model- ments available, Dr. Burke knows that it is
Dr. Burke first became interested in surgery at Miami Children's Hospital (now ing are two unique tools that you can use often the personal touch that makes the
becoming a heart surgeon in high school, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital) at the age of to see operations before you perform them difference.
when he saw a picture in a magazine of the 36. in the operating room,” he explained. “It’s “The cardiac team at Nicklaus Children’s
first heart transplant. “It captured my An inventor and software developer, Dr. far better to have 10 steps of an operation Hospital has a passion for technology, but
imagination,” he said, “so I went into my Burke also worked with colleagues to cre- enumerated on a chalkboard or demon- they also really care about the patients,” he
schooling oriented toward becoming a ate the first database for congenital heart strated on 3D constructive tools for your said. “It’s is an honor to be trusted with
heart doctor, and I worked as hard as I disease nationwide. team to use for planning than to make it families’ babies who have heart defects,
could to get there. “I was blessed to be raised in Cupertino, up as you go along. It is safer, faster and and we’ve got a great team here that covers
“The hardest heart surgery you can do is CA, a few years before Apple was built in a more effective.” every aspect of cardiac care for these chil-
on the smallest hearts, and that’s the area I garage three blocks from my house; I was He added that he is especially excited dren; they are the best at what they do.”

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