My son is having surgery for coarctation of the aorta. how invasive is this surgery and what is the expected recovery time? in hospital and home?

Depends: Depends if open heart surgery or via stent. Max 1-2 weeks.

Age? Sorry!: A coarctation is approached surgically in babies and other kids with critical or near interrupted aorta. The surgical approach is through the left chest, mid to upper left chest (low armpit area) the recovery time is variable, but i'd expect him to be home in 5-7 days. As an interventional pediatric cardiologist, i would ask his cardiologist if the coarctation could be opened in the cath lab?

Depends: There are two ways to approach a coarctation, "from the front" (i.e. Through the sternum) or "the side" (i.e. Between ribs), both are safe and depend on the location of the coa. If a sternal approach, the recovery is a bit longer (~10-14 days) vs only a ~5-7 from the side. This also depends on your child's other conditions and assuming no post-op issues arise. Please discuss with cardiologist.