title: A vision for an International Society for Fetal and Perinatal Cardiovascular Disease.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: 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
authors.forename: Jeffrey Phillip
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rychik
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tulzer
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Fouron
authors.forename: Dev
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maulik
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tworetzky
authors.forename: Bohdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maruszewski
authors.forename: Ganesh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Acharya
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Huhta
mesh_terms: 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