A vision for an International Society for Fetal and Perinatal Cardiovascular Disease.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this review is to explain why it is now time to create an International Society for Fetal and Perinatal Cardiovascular Disease.


RESULTS
Rapid advances in four domains that involve the professionals caring for patients with congenital cardiac disease all point to the fact that it is now time to create an International Society for Fetal and Perinatal Cardiovascular Disease: fetal diagnosis - the improved ability to diagnose prenatal cardiovascular disease due to education and improved ultrasound technology; subspecialization--the development of perinatal cardiology as a true subspecialty of the professions of pediatric cardiology and perinatology; analysis of outcomes--the multidisciplinary international efforts in the areas of nomenclature and databases for the analysis of outcomes of treatments for patients with congenitally malformed hearts, efforts that span traditional geographic and subspecialty boundaries; globalization - the rapidly evolving global organization of professionals caring for patients with congenital heart disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Healthcare professionals caring for the pregnant woman and fetus with congenital cardiac disease would be enthusiastic about the creation of an International Society for Fetal and Perinatal Cardiovascular Disease in order to achieve multiple objectives: to discuss the management of prenatal and perinatal cardiovascular disease (not exclusively cardiac malformations); to benefit from educational programs covering prenatal and perinatal physiology and pathophysiology, clinical and technical topics, as well as genetic, ethical, and psychosocial aspects of this relatively new discipline; and finally to share our basic science, translational, and clinical research interests.
Jacobs
Jeffrey Phillip
JP
Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, The Congenital Heart Institute of Florida, All Children's Hospital and Saint Josephs Children's Hospital of Tampa, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA. JeffJacobs@msn.com
Rychik
Jack
J
Tulzer
Gerald
G
Fouron
Jean-Claude
JC
Maulik
Dev
D
Tworetzky
Wayne
W
Maruszewski
Bohdan
B
Acharya
Ganesh
G
Huhta
James C
JC
D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D016208:Databases, Factual; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D014943:Global Health; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007391:International Cooperation; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D011247:Pregnancy; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D014481:United States