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Implantation of Total Artificial Heart in Congenital Heart Disease
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Morbidity and mortality in adults with congenital heart defects in the third and fourth life decade

Matthias J Müller1, Kambiz Norozi2,3, Jonas Caroline2

  • 1Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Georg August University, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075, Goettingen, Germany. matthias.mueller@med.uni-goettingen.de.

Clinical Research in Cardiology : Official Journal of the German Cardiac Society
|March 1, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Adults with congenital heart defects (ACHD) face significant ongoing health issues and mortality after treatment. Lifelong specialized care is crucial, especially for those with moderate to severe conditions, to improve outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD)
  • Longitudinal Observational Studies

Background:

  • The population of adults with congenital heart defects (ACHD) is growing.
  • Limited data exists on the morbidity and mortality of ACHD.
  • This study addresses the need for long-term outcome data in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the morbidity and mortality of adults with congenital heart defects (ACHD) over a 15-year period.
  • To compare health outcomes of ACHD patients with a healthy control group.
  • To identify risk factors and outcomes associated with different severities of congenital heart defects (CHD) after surgical correction or palliation.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal observational study design.
  • Follow-up examinations of ACHD patients who participated in an initial study.
  • Comparison of mortality and hospitalization data with a healthy control group.

Main Results:

  • 249 ACHD patients participated in the follow-up (68% of eligible).
  • Higher incidence of health incidents (cardiac catheterization, cardiovascular surgery, etc.) in moderate and severe CHD groups compared to mild.
  • Significant long-term survival reduction in severe CHD patients, with mortality rates increasing with severity.

Conclusions:

  • ACHD patients experience substantial ongoing morbidity and mortality post-treatment.
  • Patients with moderate and severe CHD face particularly high risks.
  • Lifelong specialized medical care is essential for all surgically corrected or palliated ACHD patients.
Abstract

Keywords:
Adults with congenital heart defectCongenital heart defectMorbidityMortalityObservational study

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