Adult Congenital
Heart Center

Advanced Treatment for Adult CHD

If you’re living with congenital heart disease (CHD), you can take comfort knowing that advanced treatment options and services are available close to home. The team at the Adult Congenital Heart Center is trained and experienced in the latest techniques. In fact, many of our team members have helped develop and refine them.

We offer various treatment options, and our team will work with you to create a treatment plan that meets your specific needs. Use the links below to quickly navigate to a specific section: 

Treatment and Services

In years past, surgical innovations began saving the lives of people born with heart defects. Today, medical and therapeutic advances are helping adults with congenital heart defects live the healthiest lives possible. In many cases, care from a specialized adult CHD center offers care coordination and treatment options critical for well-being and long-term health.

Treating or managing adult CHD requires thoughtful and collaborative care from a multidisciplinary team. Our team approach helps ensure that you get the most appropriate care for your specific needs. We work together to anticipate possible complications and take action to help keep them from limiting your quality of life and your future.

Our team provides comprehensive medical services that often includes preventive care and management of complications and related conditions, such as:


Arrhythmia

Abnormal heart rhythm is a common complication of some kinds of congenital heart defects. We offer treatment ranging from medication to surgery if needed.


Pulmonary Hypertension

This type of high blood pressure only affects arteries in the lungs. It can be a complication of untreated CHDs, or in some cases, even those that have been repaired or treated. A variety of oral, inhaled and IV medicines can treat this condition, to help you live a longer, healthier life.


Chronic Cyanosis and Erythrocytosis

Cyanosis is a bluish discoloration of the skin that results from poor circulation or too little oxygen in the blood. Erythrocytosis means that you have an unusually high number of red blood cells. We’ll monitor your blood count and symptoms, and take steps to help you avoid further problems. If you need an intravenous (IV) line, we’ll use a special filter to prevent air bubbles. We’ll also help you prevent or manage symptoms, such as coughing up blood.


Advanced Heart Failure

Heart failure is considered advanced when standard heart therapies and symptoms management no longer work. In addition to medication, our specialists offer a number of treatment options, such as cardiac resynchronization therapy, using a special pacemaker that paces both chambers of the heart at once. We also offer treatment with a ventricular assist device (see surgical and interventional treatments below). In some cases, heart transplantation is necessary.


Cyanotic Heart Disease

This condition means that you have too little oxygen in your blood, which can give your skin a blue tint (cyanosis). You may need medicine to help you get rid of extra fluids and to help your heart beat harder. Other medicines can help keep blood vessels open or treat abnormal heart rhythms.


Coordinated Care for Liver Problems

We work with Emory Healthcare liver specialists to give help manage liver problems that can result from some CHDs.

Surgical and Interventional Treatments

Our congenital heart surgeons perform hundreds of adult CHD surgeries each year, and our survival outcomes rank among the best in the nation. Our surgical team members have also helped refine techniques for redoing sternotomy, complex valve and conduit replacements, aortic root replacements, and Fontan conversions.

Below are some of the treatments we offer:


Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

TAVR is minimally invasive surgery to replace the valve on your aorta. The replacement valve is attached to a catheter (a very thin tube), which is inserted into a blood vessel and moved up to the aortic valve.

Ventricular Assist Device

This battery-operated mechanical pump helps a weakened heart pump blood throughout the body.

Septal Defect Repair

The left and right side of the heart are separated by a wall called the septum. A hole in the upper septum is called an atrial septal defect, and a hole in the lower septum is called a ventricular septal defect. Untreated, these defects may cause a variety of serious conditions. While the majority of these defects are closed in childhood, many go undiagnosed and require repair in adulthood.


Fontan Procedure

This surgery allows oxygen-poor blood to bypass the heart and flow directly to the lungs. It is used when only one chamber of the heart is strong enough to pump effectively.


Fontan Conversion

The Fontan procedure, used for years to treat certain CHDs, has now been improved. Over many years, those who had the original procedure may develop. If you had the original procedure as a child, you may develop abnormal heart rhythms and blood flow patterns. If that happens, you may need conversion to the improved Fontan.


Heart Transplantation

If other treatment won’t work for you, you may need a heart transplant. Emory surgeons have performed hundreds of heart transplants.


Pulmonary Valve Replacement

Narrowed pulmonary valves are often removed in childhood to allow blood to flow into the lungs more freely. Without these valves, some blood flows backward (regurgitation). Through the years, this regurgitation can lead to complications, so replacing the valves may be necessary.


Heart Valve Repair and Replacement

If you were born with heart valves that would not open or close completely, you probably had them replaced in childhood. Replacement valves often deteriorate with age, so you may need surgical valve repair or replacement.

Pregnancy and CHD

Because advances in treatment have helped people with congenital heart defects survive to become healthy adults, more people with congenital heart disease are starting families. While many people with CHD have normal pregnancies — and healthy babies — pregnancy does have increased risks for mothers with CHD.

You may be at higher risk for pregnancy complications, such as an irregular heartbeat, blood clots and heart failure, than a woman without CHD. Your baby may also be at higher risk for birth defects, premature birth, low birth weight and other health issues. For women with some types of CHD, pregnancy can put too much of a strain on the heart and is not recommended.

Before you get pregnant, talk to your doctor and your adult CHD health care team. Regular visits and close monitoring are critical to your health and your baby’s. Also, if you take medicine for your CHD (or any other reason), your doctors can tell you whether it is safe to keep taking it while you are pregnancy or breastfeeding.

It’s especially important for you to take care of yourself while you are pregnant. You’ll need to eat right, get plenty of rest, and avoid alcohol, tobacco and other harmful substances, just like any mother-to-be should do.

Your care and the precautions you should take depend on the type of CHD you have, as well as your general health and other factors. Staying in close contact with your health care team is your best strategy for having a healthy pregnancy and baby.

Ongoing Medical Care

If you had a congenital heart defect as a child, even if it was repaired, you will probably need specialized care and monitoring from throughout your life. A specialized team focusing on adult congenital heart disease can work together to anticipate possible complications and take steps to prevent or manage them.

Even if you feel fine, it’s important to get check-ups from your regular doctor, and in most cases, regular visits with a team specializing in congenital heart disease.

You’ll need to let all your health care providers know about your condition so they can give you the right care. We recommend that you put together a packet of medical records, test results and other information about your condition and how it has been treated. It should include:

  • Your diagnosis (the type of congenital heart defect, its location and related information)
  • Procedures or surgeries related to your congenital heart disease, including dates and locations
  • Prescribed medicines, including drug names, dosage and when you take them
  • Recommendations from your health care team about medical follow-up and how to prevent complications
  • Health insurance information
Request an Appointment

To request an appointment, please call 404-778-5299 or click the link below.