Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Adult Congenital Heart Disease – is a term that encompasses a variety of disorders stemming from heart defects, that many people are either born with or develop early in life.

Top Ten Defects:

  • Bicuspid Aortic Valve – an aortic valve with only two cusps instead of three, results in calcification and stiffness that causes aortic stenosis.
  • Ventricular Septal Defect – a hole between the bottom two chambers of the heart
  • Pulmonic Valve Stenosis – narrowing of the pulmonary valve
  • Right Ventricular Hypertrophy - thickening of the outer wall of the right ventricle
  • Overriding Aorta – aortic valve is unusually close to the right ventricle
  • Tetralogy of Fallot - most common heart defect, comprised of the four previous defects
  • Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) – a hole in the top of the heart between the top two chambers
  • Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA) – the arteries that cycle blood through the heart feed the wrong chambers, essentially reversing the bottom half of the heart
  • Hypoplastic Left Heart (HLH) – parts of the left side of the heart do not develop
  • Patient Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) - the ductus arteriosus blood vessel does not develop

Diagnosis

  • Medical history
  • Physical examination
  • Electrocardiogram
  • Echocardiogram

Treatment

  • Defects need to be monitored with follow up care
  • Medications may be helpful
  • Catheter based surgery
  • Open heart surgery
  • Heart transplantation

Importance: continuous treatment and monitoring of adult congenital heart disease is necessary to live a healthy life