CPT code 33822 denotes a pediatric surgical procedure to repair an opening between the major blood vessels leaving the heart by dividing the ductus and suturing the vessel stumps. This is a specialized cardiovascular operation typically performed in inpatient pediatric cardiac operating rooms at tertiary hospitals and children’s medical centers. The code is age-specific and applies to patients under 18 years.

Nationally, the code matters because it captures a high-acuity, resource-intensive pediatric cardiac surgical service that influences hospital surgical case mix, inpatient resource utilization, and payer coverage policies for congenital heart procedure management. Key payers in the national context include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.

Readers will learn what CPT code 33822 represents clinically, the typical service and site of care associated with the code, and the payer landscape relevant to reimbursement and coverage discussions. The publication covers benchmarks where available, policy and coverage considerations that affect access and billing for pediatric cardiac repair, and clinical context explaining when this operation is used. Data not available in the input will be noted where applicable.