Emory/Sibley Adult Congenital Cardiac Center
Diagnosing and Treating Adults Who Were Born with Heart Defects
The Emory/Sibley Adult Congenital Cardiac Program is one of only a few programs of its kind in the U.S. — and the only one in Georgia — specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of adults with congenital heart disease. The program features a multidisciplinary management team, including both adult and pediatric cardiologists, echocardiographers, interventional cardiologists, nurse practioners, nurses and electrophysiologists, to diagnose adult patients with congenital cardiac disorders and provide the best care.
The program strives to promote optimal "quality of life" throughout the lifespan with early intervention, evidence based medical and surgical therapies, and when indicated, consideration of transplant.
Emory Heart & Vascular Center cardiologist Wendy Book, MD, Co-Director of The Emory/Sibley Adult Congenital Cardiac Program and a specialist in heart failure and heart transplants, points out that sometimes health problems from CHD can come as a surprise to patients and their doctors who may have believed a congenital problem was solved by childhood surgeries.
"It is not unusual for a patient to believe a heart defect was permanently 'fixed' in childhood, only to find out that is not the case when problems develop later in life," Dr. Book says.
"Our patients face issues such as pregnancy, employment and acquired illnesses more suitable to an adult medical setting. However, the complexities of their congenital cardiac defects and the sequelae of prior 'reparative' surgeries many of them have undergone are best understood by pediatric cardiologists who have extensive training in this area," says Michael E. McConnell, MD, a pediatric cardiologist at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Co-Director of the Emory/Sibley Adult Congenital Cardiac Program.
Just as surgical innovations helped initially to save the lives of people born with heart defects, medical and therapeutic advances are now helping adult patients with CHD who receive specialized care to live the healthiest lives possible. "Electrophysiology studies can be used to map arrhythmias and many can be cured with radiofrequency ablation. Catheter-based interventions have also gained an important place in the treatment of congenital heart defects and can often be used to close holes in the heart called atrial septal defects (ASDs), for example," says Dr. Book.
For more information on the Emory/Sibley Adult Congenital Cardiac Program, call 404-778-5545. For information on Congenital Cardiac Surgery, click here.
| Adult Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Facts |
- According to the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA), there are currently about 750,000 adults with CHD in the United States. The majority need on-going specialized care.
- Adults with congenital cardiac disease can have a broad range of problems including:
- unrepaired congenital defects
- heart failure
- the development of new lesions superimposed on an early repair
- newly recognized congenital heart defects not found until adulthood
- complex arrhythmias
- pregnancy issues
- Adolescents with CHD sometimes develop 'adult' acquired cardiac problems such as atherosclerotic heart disease, heart attack or heart failure.
| Helpful links for more information about CHD: |
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