Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital diseases of the heart and vasculature are the most common birth defects, occurring in approximately eight per 1,000 live births. Some patients with congenital heart defects (CHDs) have a high quality of life for many years due to progress in medical and surgical management made in recent decades. This relatively high incidence, coupled with improved management, has resulted in a large adult population of patients with congenital heart disease. This chapter reviews the CHDs most likely to be encountered in adult patients, including atrial septal defects, atrioventricular septal defects, ventricular septal defects, patent ductus arteriosus, bicuspid aortic valve, pulmonic stenosis, coarctation of the aorta, persistent left superior vena cava, tetralogy of Fallot, dextro-transposition of the great arteries, the univentricular heart, Ebstein anomaly of the tricuspid valve, and Eisenmenger syndrome. Also discussed are women’s health issues, such as contraception, risk of pregnancy to the mother with CHD and risk to their offspring. Tables list recommendations for pulmonary valve replacement in repaired tetralogy of Fallot, conditions in which pregnancy risk is contraindicated