Congenital heart disease patients benefit from long-term follow-up

If you turn the clock back 50 years, the harsh reality is that 8 out of 10 children born with congenital heart defects did not survive. Today, thanks to improved surgical and medical care, 9 out of 10 patients with congenital heart defects live to adulthood. In fact, it now is estimated that there are nearly 1 million adults in the United States living with a congenital heart defect, 15,000 of whom live right here in Wisconsin.

Congenital heart defects can have long-term complications, and “total correction” is not the rule. The vast majority of patients who underwent heart surgery as a child should have periodic evaluations for life.

Many non-cardiac problems arise as children grow that may require special attention. These include:
•    Learning disabilities.
•    Exercise restrictions.
•    Birth control.
•    Pregnancy.
•    Difficulties in obtaining health and life insurance.

Time and stress can put strain on a repaired heart, requiring specialized care. Many adult patients have a false sense of well being, so they stop seeing their cardiologist and stop taking their medications. Depending on the original defect, some patients can suffer sudden and serious problems. Early warning signs may include:
•    Heart racing.
•    Extra beats.
•    Exercise intolerance or reduction in stamina.
•    Easily exhausted, such as when walking up stairs.

The professionals in the Herma Heart Center's Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program are experienced and dedicated in helping patients deal with these issues.
The team provides state-of-the-art, comprehensive diagnostic and interventional cardiac care. Services offered include:
•    Diagnosis and follow-up including chest X-rays, echocardiography studies, EKG studies, stress tests and exercise physiology studies.
•    Medication management.
•    Catheterization procedures.
•    Surgical procedures.

If you or someone you know had heart surgery as a child, please seek or encourage follow-up care.

Michael G. Earing, MD, is a cardiologist in the Herma Heart Center Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. He also is on staff at Froedtert Hospital, and is an assistant professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

 
FAST FACT: Thanks to advances in pediatric surgery and cardiothoracic surgery there now are more adults with congenital heart disease living in the United States. As a result, a new specialty - Adult Congenital Heart Disease - has begun to treat this unique population, but very few physicians are trained. Two of the less than 40 physicians nationwide with this experience see patients at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.