What happens when babies with heart defects become adults?
ESC Guidelines for the management of adult congenital heart disease

Date:
August 29, 2020
Source:
European Society of Cardiology
Summary:
More than 90% of babies born with heart defects survive into
adulthood.

As a result, there are now more adults living with congenital
heart disease than children. These adults have a chronic, lifelong
condition and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has produced
advice to give the best chance of a normal life.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
More than 90% of babies born with heart defects survive into adulthood. As
a result, there are now more adults living with congenital heart disease
than children. These adults have a chronic, lifelong condition and the
European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has produced advice to give the
best chance of a normal life. The guidelines are published online today
in European Heart Journal,1 and on the ESC website.2

========================================================================== Congenital heart disease refers to any structural defect of the heart
and/or great vessels (those directly connected to the heart) present
at birth.

Congenital heart disease affects all aspects of life, including physical
and mental health, socialising, and work. Most patients are unable to
exercise at the same level as their peers which, along with the awareness
of having a chronic condition, affects mental wellbeing.

"Having a congenital heart disease, with a need for long-term follow-up
and treatment, can also have an impact on social life, limit employment
options and make it difficult to get insurance," said Professor Helmut Baumgartner, Chairperson of the guidelines Task Force and head of Adult Congenital and Valvular Heart Disease at the University Hospital of
Mu"nster, Germany.

"Guiding and supporting patients in all of these processes is an inherent
part of their care." All adults with congenital heart disease should
have at least one appointment at a specialist centre to determine
how often they need to be seen. Teams at these centres should include specialist nurses, psychologists and social workers given that anxiety
and depression are common concerns.

Pregnancy is contraindicated in women with certain conditions such high
blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. "Pre-conception counselling
is recommended for women and men to discuss the risk of the defect in
offspring and the option of foetal screening," said Professor Julie De
Backer, Chairperson of the guidelines Task Force and cardiologist and
clinical geneticist at Ghent University Hospital, Belgium.

Concerning sports, recommendations are provided for each
condition. Professor De Backer said: "All adults with congenital heart
disease should be encouraged to exercise, taking into account the nature
of the underlying defect and their own abilities." The guidelines
state when and how to diagnose complications. This includes proactively monitoring for arrhythmias, cardiac imaging and blood tests to detect
problems with heart function.

Detailed recommendations are provided on how and when to treat
complications.

Arrhythmias are an important cause of sickness and death and the
guidelines stress the importance of correct and timely referral to a specialised treatment centre. They also list when particular treatments
should be considered such as ablation (a procedure to destroy heart
tissue and stop faulty electrical signals) and device implantation.

For several defects, there are new recommendations for catheter-based treatment. "Catheter-based treatment should be performed by specialists in adult congenital heart disease working within a multidisciplinary team,"
said Professor Baumgartner.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by European_Society_of_Cardiology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Antonio Pelliccia, Sanjay Sharma, Sabiha Gati, Maria Ba"ck, Mats
Bo"rjesson, Stefano Caselli, Jean-Philippe Collet, Domenico
Corrado, Jonathan A Drezner, Martin Halle, Dominique Hansen, Hein
Heidbuchel, Jonathan Myers, Josef Niebauer, Michael Papadakis,
Massimo Francesco Piepoli, Eva Prescott, Jolien W Roos-Hesselink,
A Graham Stuart, Rod S Taylor, Paul D Thompson, Monica Tiberi,
Luc Vanhees, Matthias Wilhelm, ESC Scientific Document Group. 2020
ESC Guidelines on sports cardiology and exercise in patients with
cardiovascular disease: The Task Force on sports cardiology and
exercise in patients with cardiovascular disease of the European
Society of Cardiology (ESC). European Heart Journal, 2020 DOI:
10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa554 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200829092750.htm

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