title: Congenital heart disease in the adult: what should the adult cardiologist know?
abstract: There is an increasing population of adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) due to successful pediatric medical and surgical intervention, and commensurate with this increase is a rise in heart failure, hospital admissions, and hospital costs among adult CHD patients. This group of patients requires careful long-term evaluation and follow-up of the residua and sequelae of their cardiac anomalies that arise in adulthood to prevent late complications. This article addresses congenital heart defects that are encountered in a general adult cardiology practice and reviews clinical, anatomic, and imaging features of each lesion, fundamental management issues, indications for interventions (and often re-interventions), issues related to endocarditis prophylaxis, pregnancy, and appropriateness of referral to a dedicated adult CHD program for long-term care.
authors: Division of Cardiology, Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, Echocardiography Section, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St, Yawkey 5-700, Boston, MA, 02114, USA, ddefariayeh@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors: Doreen
authors: D
authors: DeFaria Yeh
authors: Mary Etta
authors: ME
authors: King
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular