Very few of these heart defects are completely cured after surgery. Further interventions may also be necessary in adulthood, for example due to residual connections between the individual heart cavities, narrowed vessels, worn implants (e.g. heart valves and conduits), valve infections (endocarditis) or arrhythmias. Very rarely, a heart transplant is even the only option to help patients in the long term.
Diagnosis
Very rarely, individual minor heart defects that remain asymptomatic for a long time are not diagnosed until adulthood. These include, for example, a partial a-v canal, a non-high-grade ischial stenosis or vascular malformations in the sense of “vascular rings” with corresponding compression of the trachea (shortness of breath) and/or the esophagus (difficulty swallowing).
Interdisciplinary treatment
These patients require special interdisciplinary care by specialists in paediatric cardiology, specialists in cardiology with particular specialization in the field of congenital heart defects and specialists in cardiac surgery with the necessary experience in the field of congenital heart defect surgery.
Examples of some congenital malformations with the problem from the perspective of adult patients:
- Aortic coarctation
- Congenital aortic valve stenosis
- Ventricular septal defect
- Complete AV channel
- Ebstein’s disease
- Fallot’s tetralogy
- Transposition of the great vessels
- Univentricular heart