[Follow up of adults with congenital heart disease]

Abstract

During the last decades, the care of children with congenital heart disease has markedly improved. In consequence, the number of those who reach adulthood is continuously growing. In 2010, the European Society of Cardiology published guidelines for the management of grown-up congenital heart disease (GUCH) and recommended that each GUCH patient should be examined at least once in a specialized center. Due to their specific needs, this population requires specific and organized care. Indeed, GUCH patients do not only have significant extra-cardiac problems, but also present specific cardiac complications such as right ventricular failure, incisionnal arrhythmias. They may require repeated surgical and/ or percutaneous interventions. Since this emerging population is ageing, they also may suffer from arterial hypertension, diabetes and coronary artery disease. Last but not least, young women with congenital heart disease need specialized advice and care for contraception, follow-up during pregnancy and peripartal management. In order to optimize the follow-up of this growing population, a shared care model where cardiologists, specialized GUCH centers and other specialized centers for the treatment of extra-cardiac problems work in tight collaboration is recommended.