Anesthetic management of the adult patient with congenital heart disease.
As the number of CHD repairs in adults continues to increase, these operations will be performed in a wider variety of institutions and systems. Unfortunately, not all of these centers will have an optimal environment for correcting CHD in adults. This type of surgery is best accomplished in a facility specifically designed for treating adults with CHD. Optimal care of these patients is provided by cardiologists who are trained and experienced in pediatric and adult cardiology, by surgeons who are trained and experienced in treating CHD, and by anesthesiologists who are experienced in caring for adults with CHD. Whatever the setting, cardiac anesthesiologists involved in these cases must be thoroughly aware of the anesthetic implications for the unique pathophysiology of each patient, and they must not rely on their "usual" expectations of either true pediatric CHD or acquired adult heart disease.
Stayer
Stephen A
SA
Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, 6621 Fannin, Houston, TX 77030, USA. sstayer@bcm.tmc.edu
Andropoulos
Dean B
DB
Russell
Isobel A
IA
D000328:Adult; D000758:Anesthesia; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans