Adult congenital heart disease - A new subdiscipline in cardiology

The incidence of congenital heart disease is 8-10 per 1 000 newborn. Through the successes of heart surgery, medical treatment and interventional cardiology the primarily high mortality rate of congenital heart disease declined from 80 to 20%. Nowadays more than 80% of these patients reach adulthood. Alone in Germany, approx. 120 000 adults live presently with significant congenital heart deformities. Their number rises continuously. With the exception of an open Ductus Botalli, which could be operated in the early childhood curatively, all other congenital heart defects need regular control, since even after primarily successful interventional or operative treatment significant residuae or sequelae must be expected. Sense of this supervision is, thus, to recognize residuae or sequelae in order to lead the patients towards an adequate treatment. Optimal care of these patients begins in childhood and has to be continued steadily over adolescence down to high adulthood. The complexity of many congenital heart defects very often necessitates a multidisciplinary approach. This led in some institutions to a special, interdisciplinary team between cardiologists, pediatric cardiologists and cardiac surgeons. Specialists like nuclear cardiologists, radiologists, gastroenterologists, nephrologists or gynecologists are meanwhile integral part of this team.