Adult Congenital Heart Diseases

Clinicians at the BJU Cardiovascular Center are equipped to provide personalized, lifelong care for adolescent and adult patients who suffer from a variety of congenital heart diseases, including, but not limited to:

• Aortic valve stenosis
• Atrial septal defect (ASD)
• Bicuspid aortic valve
• Coarctation of the aorta
• Complex congenital heart disease
• Ebstein’s Anomaly
• Eisenmenger Syndrome
• Fontan circulation
• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
• Pulmonic stenosis (PS)
• Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)
• Ventricular septal defect (VSD)

A multidisciplinary approach to treating congenital heart disease

Patients and their families are guided through every aspect of managing their congenital heart diseases, from the initial encounter and review of prior history through diagnostic and interventional procedures. The overarching emphasis is on continuity of care and long-term follow-up. Our physicians are experienced in treating congenital heart disease in adults and work with specialists from multiple clinical disciplines to provide care from many different subspecialty perspectives, including:

• Cardiac imaging
• Cardiac and thoracic surgery
• Hematology
• Interventional cardiology
• Neurology
• Obstetrics and gynecology
• Pulmonary care

Our specialists care for adolescents and adults with congenital heart disease and value open and ongoing communication with referring pediatricians, internists and primary cardiologists. We also emphasize patient education and self-advocacy to help patients transition from pediatric, through adolescent to adult care.

Diagnosing congenital heart disease

To diagnose congenital heart disease, it is important to have a clear image of a patient’s anatomy. For patients with adult congenital heart disease , the BJU Cardiovascular Center has full-time, board-certified imaging specialists who are trained to detect the heart defects.

Depending on the patient, we may use one or more of these diagnostic techniques to examine the heart’s anatomy and function:

• Cardiac MRI
• Cardiac CT
• Echocardiography, including transephageal, transthoracic and 3D
• Diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization

Treating congenital heart disease

Both outpatient and inpatient care are closely supervised by the same dedicated physicians in the personalized manner that has been the tradition and style of excellence that characterizes United Family Healthcare (UFH).

Helping patients live full, healthy lives

Our goal is to repair and manage congenital heart conditions so that patients live full, healthy lives. Our specialists take an integrative approach to care and are available to:

• Answer your questions. Patients with congenital heart disease often have questions relating to work, education, sports participation, marriage, pregnancy, childrearing, and whether their condition affects lifestyle decisions.
• Guide patients through lifestyle changes. Preventive care is central to the treatment process. We often guide patients through dietary changes and weight management, and we may refer them to rehabilitation specialists to help manage their conditions.

Minimally-invasive treatments

For some patients, we use an interventional transcatheter approach to offer minimally-invasive procedures that result in small incisions in the skin rather than open heart surgery. Our interventional cardiologists treat congenital heart conditions, including but not limited to septal defects, coarctation of aorta, and pulmonary branch stenoses.

Surgical interventions

Our dedicated surgical team specializes in cardiac surgical procedures, including primary operations and re-operations. We are experienced in both simple and complex congenital heart surgeries, including:

• Surgical closure of atrial septal defect
• Surgical repair of coartation of the aorta
• Surgical repair of Ebstein’s anomaly
• Pulmonary valve replacement
• Surgical repair of coronary artery anomalies
• Tetralogy of Fallot repair
• Congenital valve repair or replacement (tricuspid, mitral, aortic)

Ongoing support for patients

Teens and young adults with congenital heart disease receive ongoing support that helps them shift from pediatric to adult-based healthcare.