Surveillance of adults with congenital heart disease: Current guidelines and actual clinical practice

Jolien W. Roos-Hesselink*, Chiara Pelosi, Margarita Brida, Julie De Backer, Sabine Ernst, Werner Budts, Helmut Baumgartner, Erwin Oechslin, Daniel Tobler, Adrienne H. Kovacs, Giovanni Di Salvo, Jolanda Kluin, Michael A. Gatzoulis, Gerhard P. Diller

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Background and aim: 

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect with prevalence of 0.8%. Thanks to tremendous progress in medical and surgical practice, nowadays, >90% of children survive into adulthood. Recently European Society of Cardiology (ESC), American College of Cardiology (ACC)/ American Heart Association (AHA) issued guidelines which offer diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations for the different defect categories. However, the type of technical exams and their frequency of follow-up may vary largely between clinicians and centres. We aimed to present an overview of available diagnostic modalities and describe current surveillance practices by cardiologists taking care of adults with CHD (ACHD).

Methods and results: 

A questionnaire was used to assess the frequency cardiologists treating ACHD for at least one year administrated the most common diagnostic tests for ACHD. The most frequently employed diagnostic modalities were ECG and echocardiography for both mild and moderate/severe CHD. Sixty-seven percent of respondents reported that they routinely address psychosocial well-being. 

Conclusion: 

Differences exist between reported current clinical practice and published guidelines. This is particularly true for the care of patients with mild lesions. In addition, some differences exist between ESC and American guidelines, with more frequent surveillance suggested by the Americans.

Original languageEnglish
Article number132022
JournalInternational Journal of Cardiology
Volume407
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Jul 2024

Bibliographical note

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© 2024 The Authors

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