Health care transition in congenital heart disease: the providers' view point.

Unfortunately, despite recommendations for educational training of ACHD health care providers and the goal to create regional ACHD centers, current needs still far outweigh appropriate available services. From a practical standpoint, we will need to work from our current models of health care delivery, which vary because of geographic and institutional issues and the availability of appropriate resources, toward the ideal goal of regional ACHD centers. Successful transition of adolescents and adults with CHD requires collaboration and planning between the pediatric health care team and the ACHD health care team. Good communication and an atmosphere of mutual respect are essential. All members of the ACHD health care team need to be committed to improving the process of transition for the adolescent and adult with CHD. The advanced practice nurse (CNS or ARNP) from both the pediatric program and the adult program are often key players in this process. As ACHD health care providers, we must work toward decreasing barriers to care and become organized advocates for our patients. Ultimately, our goal is not only to provide a smooth transition from one model of care to another, it is to create a health care delivery system that will maximize the lifelong potential and function of adults with congenital heart disease.

Congenital heart disease in adults: catheterization laboratory considerations.

Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects and represent an increasing proportion of adolescent and adult patients followed by cardiologists. While many of these patients have undergone successful palliative or corrective surgery with excellent functional results, most of them still require careful follow-up. Further, even complex lesions may first be diagnosed in adolescence and adulthood. Therefore, cardiologists caring for adults need to become more familiar with these defects. Assessment of the patient with known or suspected congenital heart defects requires a careful history, physical examination, and noninvasive assessment. In addition, the catheterization laboratory remains a critical venue for diagnosis and, increasingly, therapy. Pressure measurements, oximetry, and angiography remain cornerstones of diagnosis in selected patients and a variety of interventional procedures have become viable therapeutic alternatives in both pre- and postoperative patients.