- The Literal Answer: What "CHS" Stands For
- Why This Matters: Multiple Credentials Share the Acronym
- Who Issues CHS and What It Actually Certifies
- The Certification Pathway in Practice
- The 11 Content Domains Behind the Name
- Fees, Format, and Dates You Need to Know
- Who Pursues CHS and Why
- Turning the Name Into a Study Plan
- Frequently Asked Questions
- CHS stands for Congenital Heart Surgery certification, issued by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS).
- It is a subspecialty certification requiring current primary ABTS certification first.
- Initial fees total $4,900 across application, written, and oral exam components.
- Part I (written) uses three-answer multiple-choice questions starting in 2025 and is required before Part II (oral).
The Literal Answer: What "CHS" Stands For
When surgeons and trainees ask what CHS stands for in the context of cardiac surgery credentialing, the answer is straightforward: CHS stands for Congenital Heart Surgery. It is the abbreviation used on the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) website for its Congenital Cardiac Surgery subspecialty certification. You will sometimes see the same credential referred to more formally as "Congenital Cardiac Surgery certification," but ABTS itself labels the certification pages and exam pathway "CHS," so both terms describe the identical credential.
This is not a generic wellness or health-services acronym, and it is not tied to any hospital system, payer network, or unrelated professional designation. In the surgical world, CHS is a board subspecialty certification layered on top of general thoracic surgery certification, built specifically for surgeons who operate on congenital heart defects in infants, children, and adults with congenital anomalies.
Why This Matters: Multiple Credentials Share the Acronym
The three-letter abbreviation "CHS" is used across several unrelated fields, and mixing them up leads to bad study decisions. If you search broadly, you may encounter content describing different certifying bodies, different exam fees, different pass rates, or different scope of practice - none of which apply to congenital cardiac surgery. If an article about "CHS" references facts that don't match the American Board of Thoracic Surgery's congenital cardiac surgery pathway, you are likely reading about a different certification entirely.
This site, and this article, are exclusively about the ABTS Congenital Heart Surgery subspecialty certification for cardiothoracic surgeons. If you landed here researching a different "CHS," you'll want to verify the certifying organization behind whatever program you're actually pursuing - it will not be the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, and the requirements below will not apply to it.
Key Takeaway
Always confirm the certifying body before trusting a "CHS" fee, date, or domain list. For congenital cardiac surgery, the only authoritative source is ABTS.
Who Issues CHS and What It Actually Certifies
CHS is administered by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, the same board that issues primary certification in general thoracic and cardiothoracic surgery. CHS is not a standalone entry point into cardiac surgery - it's a subspecialty certification for surgeons who already hold current primary ABTS certification and have completed additional congenital cardiac surgery training.
The certification verifies that a surgeon has the knowledge and judgment to manage the full range of congenital cardiac conditions - from straightforward septal defects to complex single-ventricle physiology - safely and effectively across the pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative continuum. For a full breakdown of eligibility rules, see our dedicated CHS Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify guide.
The Certification Pathway in Practice
Earning CHS involves two sequential examination components, and understanding this sequence is part of understanding what the name represents:
- Part I - Written Examination: A multiple-choice exam administered at Pearson Professional Testing Centers. Beginning in 2025, questions use three answer options rather than the traditional four or five, which changes both guessing odds and how confidently you need to know material.
- Part II - Oral Examination: An in-person case-based oral exam that can only be attempted after passing Part I. It tests applied judgment on real operative scenarios rather than isolated recall.
Eligibility to even sit for Part I requires current primary ABTS certification, unrestricted medical licensure, qualifying thoracic and congenital cardiac surgery training, verified operative case volume, and formal program endorsement. Fellows who began training on or after July 1, 2023 must complete two consecutive years in a single ACGME-accredited program and log at least 150 major congenital cases, with a minimum of 50 cases in the first year alone.
For a step-by-step walkthrough of how these pieces fit together chronologically, see CHS Certification and What Is CHS Certification?.
The 11 Content Domains Behind the Name
Understanding what CHS stands for also means understanding what it covers. The ABTS Part I written exam draws from 11 content categories, reproduced here from the ABTS 2025 Booklet of Information as unweighted coverage areas - meaning no official domain is disclosed as worth more than another on the exam blueprint.
Domain 1: Septal Defects
Atrial and ventricular septal defect anatomy, physiology, and repair strategy across age groups.
- Timing of intervention and hemodynamic consequences of delayed repair
Domain 2: Anomalies of Venous Connection
Systemic and pulmonary venous return anomalies, including total and partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection.
- Surgical approach differences by anatomic subtype
Domain 3: Anomalies of the Aorta, Aortic Arch, and Coronary Arteries
Coarctation, interrupted arch, vascular rings, and coronary anomalies requiring surgical correction.
- Arch reconstruction techniques and staged repair sequencing
Domain 4: Anomalies of the Tricuspid and Mitral Valves
Ebstein's anomaly, mitral valve dysplasia, and valve repair versus replacement decision-making in small patients.
- Valve-sparing technique indications
Domain 5: Anomalies of the Aortic Valve and Left Ventricular Outflow Tract
Aortic stenosis, subaortic obstruction, and LVOT reconstruction options including the Ross procedure.
- Choosing among Ross, Konno, and valve repair strategies
Domain 6: Anomalies of the Pulmonary Valve and Right Ventricular Outflow Tract
Pulmonary stenosis/atresia and RVOT reconstruction, including conduit selection and longevity considerations.
- Conduit failure modes and reintervention planning
Domain 7: Conotruncal Anomalies
Tetralogy of Fallot, truncus arteriosus, and transposition physiology and surgical correction.
- Arterial switch versus Rastelli-type strategies
Domain 8: Anomalies of Atrioventricular Connection, Univentricular Heart, and Atrial/Visceral Situs
AV canal defects, single-ventricle palliation pathways, and heterotaxy-related situs abnormalities.
- Staged Fontan pathway decision points
Domain 9: Diseases of the Myocardium
Cardiomyopathies and myocardial disease processes relevant to surgical candidacy and perioperative risk.
- Surgical implications of ventricular dysfunction
Domain 10: Pre-, Intra-, and Post-Operative Evaluation and Management of Congenital Cardiac Disease
Perioperative workup, intraoperative decision-making, and postoperative critical care of congenital patients.
- Recognizing and managing postoperative low cardiac output
Domain 11: Acquired Cardiovascular Diseases in Infants and Children
Non-congenital cardiovascular disease processes affecting pediatric surgical patients.
- Distinguishing acquired pathology from congenital anomaly presentations
For deeper coverage of how to sequence study across all eleven areas, see the CHS Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 11 Content Areas.
Fees, Format, and Dates You Need to Know
Because CHS is a two-part credential with real financial and scheduling commitments, understanding the name also means understanding the mechanics behind it. Initial certification totals $4,900 before travel or study materials:
| Component | Fee |
|---|---|
| Application | $650 |
| Written Examination (Part I) | $1,750 |
| Oral Examination (Part II) | $2,500 |
| Total Initial Cost | $4,900 |
For the 2026-2027 cycle, the written window runs December 7-11, 2026, with the corresponding oral examination held June 4-5, 2027 in Dallas. Full scheduling detail, including how these windows have shifted historically, is covered in CHS Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling, and a complete cost breakdown lives in CHS Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
The written format itself is worth understanding on its own terms. Since 2025, Part I questions use three answer options instead of the more traditional four- or five-option format common to other board exams. That narrower option set changes the guessing math and rewards precise recall over recognition-based elimination strategies. If you're unsure how many correct answers you need under this format, review CHS Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass for specifics.
Who Pursues CHS and Why
CHS is pursued almost exclusively by cardiothoracic surgeons who have completed congenital cardiac surgery fellowship training and intend to practice primarily in pediatric or congenital cardiac programs. Because primary ABTS certification and qualifying operative case volume are prerequisites, this is not an entry-level credential - it validates surgeons already deep into subspecialty practice.
Academic congenital heart programs, children's hospitals, and quaternary cardiac surgery centers are the typical practice settings where CHS-certified surgeons work. Program endorsement is itself part of the eligibility process, meaning training programs play a direct role in verifying that a candidate is ready to sit for Part I. For a closer look at career context and hiring patterns, see CHS Jobs and CHS Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis.
Surgeons weighing whether the credential is worth the time and expense relative to practicing without it often ask a broader question - not just what CHS stands for, but what it's worth. That's addressed directly in Is the CHS Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.
Turning the Name Into a Study Plan
Once you know that CHS stands for Congenital Heart Surgery certification and understand its two-part structure, the practical question becomes how to prepare across eleven domains without losing months to disorganized review. A sequenced approach tends to work better than reading broadly in no particular order.
Anatomic Foundations
- Work through Septal Defects, Anomalies of Venous Connection, and Aortic/Arch/Coronary Anomalies - these build the anatomic vocabulary used everywhere else
Valve and Outflow Tract Complexity
- Move into Tricuspid/Mitral, Aortic Valve/LVOT, and Pulmonary Valve/RVOT anomalies, where repair-versus-replacement judgment calls dominate Part II-style questions
Complex Physiology
- Concentrate on Conotruncal Anomalies and the Atrioventricular Connection/Univentricular Heart/Situs domain, the two areas most likely to carry multi-step staged-repair reasoning
Perioperative Integration and Review
- Layer in Myocardial Disease, Perioperative Management, and Acquired Cardiovascular Disease, then run full-length timed practice under the three-option format
Detailed domain-by-domain study tactics, including how to weight review time relative to your own case exposure, are laid out in the CHS Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. If you're still calibrating how difficult this exam is relative to your current knowledge base, the How Hard Is the CHS Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 breaks down where candidates typically struggle.
Practicing under realistic three-option, timed conditions before test day matters more for CHS than for exams with wider option sets, since the narrower format leaves less room for elimination-based guessing. You can build that familiarity using timed practice questions on our practice test platform before you sit for Part I at a Pearson center.
Key Takeaway
Don't study the 11 domains in random order. Anatomic domains build the vocabulary you need before tackling the more judgment-heavy conotruncal and univentricular material.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Multiple unrelated credentials share the "CHS" abbreviation. On this site and in this article, CHS refers exclusively to Congenital Heart Surgery certification from the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.
CHS is a subspecialty certification. Candidates must already hold current primary ABTS certification in thoracic surgery before they can pursue CHS eligibility.
Two: a written Part I multiple-choice exam at Pearson Professional Testing Centers, and an in-person oral Part II case-based exam that can only be scheduled after passing Part I.
Initial certification totals $4,900, made up of a $650 application fee, $1,750 written examination fee, and $2,500 oral examination fee, not including travel or preparation expenses.
The 11 content domains are drawn from the ABTS 2025 Booklet of Information. A full breakdown of each domain is available in the CHS Exam Domains 2026 guide, and general orientation is covered in What Is CHS? and CHS Meaning.