UAB Department of Surgery Associate Professor and A.D. Pacifico, M.D., Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery Robert Dabal, M.D., has been recognized for his role in performing a high number of successful Norwood procedures at Children’s of Alabama.

According to the Children’s of Alabama’s Inside Pediatrics article, in the past five years, surgeons at Children’s of Alabama have completed 54 Norwoods and maintained a mortality rate of 5.5 percent. That compares to a national average of about 15 percent, based on statistics from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database.

Inside Pediatrics outlines the Norwood procedure as the most complex cardiothoracic surgery performed in newborns, one in which surgeons construct a new, larger aorta for babies born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The procedure must be done within the infant’s first week of life, followed by a second surgery when the baby is 3 to 6 months, and a third at age 4 or 5.

As Chief of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at Children’s of Alabama, Dabal is proud of the entire team of surgeons, trainees and staff who are essential to the success of the procedure.

“This procedure is complex and requires a team of individuals who are highly-skilled to perform and assist during it,” said Dabal. “We are all extremely invested in our patients’ experiences and outcomes before, during and after the procedure, and we enjoy getting to know each patient and their family. We’re here for them.”

James Davies, M.D., division director of UAB Cardiothoracic Surgery is proud to have Dabal as a member of faculty.

“Dr. Dabal is a wonderful surgeon who shows an incredible amount of care for his patients,” said Davies. “We’re honored to have someone as skilled as a surgeon and leader as Dr. Dabal call UAB Cardiothoracic Surgery home, and we look forward to all that he will continue to accomplish in his surgical career.”

You can read more about the Norwood procedure at Children’s of Alabama here.