# Pediatric cardiac medical advancements in the US > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/pediatric-cardiac-medical-advancements-in-the-us > Updated: 2026-09-01T16:00:05.000Z. Sources: 2. Developments: 2. Medical advancements in pediatric cardiac care in the United States have focused on minimally invasive techniques to improve patient outcomes. Researchers at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles developed a “catheter first” treatment approach for newborns with severe heterotaxy-associated congenital heart disease. This method uses catheter-based palliation to stabilize high-risk infants through vessel stenting, allowing them to grow before major surgery. In initial applications, all four treated patients survived. In Florida, surgeons at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and Baptist Health performed the state’s first robotics-assisted pediatric cardiac surgery to repair an atrial septal defect in a 14-year-old. This robotic approach utilizes small incisions to provide more precision than traditional open-heart surgery, resulting in smaller scars and faster recovery times. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-01: Nicklaus Children’s and Baptist Health perform Florida’s first pediatric robotic heart surgery Surgeons in Florida performed the state’s first robotic-assisted pediatric heart surgery to repair an atrial septal defect in a 14-year-old, offering a minimally invasive alternative to open-heart surgery. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nicklaus-childrens-and-baptist-health-perform-floridas-first-pediatric-robotic-heart-surgery ### 2026-08-13: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles develops new heart defect treatment Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has introduced a minimally invasive “catheter first” approach to improve survival rates for newborns with severe heterotaxy-associated heart defects. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/childrens-hospital-los-angeles-develops-new-heart-defect-treatment --- Cite as: Pediatric cardiac medical advancements in the US. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/pediatric-cardiac-medical-advancements-in-the-us