ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
The increasing worldwide number of
adults with
congenital heart disease (CHD) demands greater
attention from
health professionals. The purpose of this
report is to describe the clinical demographic profile, frequency, and invasive
treatment status of
adults with CHD in a public reference
hospital in northeastern
Brazil.
Methods:
This is a retrospective
cross-sectional study including 704
patients attended between August 2016 and August 2020. Data were collected from virtual database.
Results:
Patients' age varied from 17 to 81 years (mean 32±14; median 27 years); 294 (41.8%)
patients were
male, and 410 (58,2%) were
female; 230 (32,7%) had
diagnosis from age 18 and up. Cardiac complexity categories were "simple defects" (134 [19%]
patients), "moderate complexity" (503 [71.5%]), and "great complexity" (67 [9.5%]).
Atrial septal defect (ASD) was diagnosed in 216 (30.7%)
patients,
ventricular septal defect (VSD) in 101 (14.3%),
tetralogy of Fallot in 93 (13.2%), and other CHD in 294 (41.8%).
New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classes were I (401 [57%]), II (203 [28.8%]), III (76 [10.8%]), and IV (24 [3.4%]).
Complications were arrhythmias (173 [24%]) and severe
pulmonary hypertension (69 [9.8%]). Invasive
treatments were corrective
surgery (364 (51.6%]),
reoperation (28 [4.0%]), palliation (11 [1.6%]), interventional
catheterization (12 [1.7%]),
surgery plus interventional
catheterization (5 [0.7%]), and preoperation (91 [12.9%]).
Treatment was not required in 102 (14,5%)
patients, and 91 (12.9%) were inoperable.
Conclusion:
The leading
diagnosis was ASD. Frequency of unrepaired
patients was high, mainly ASD, due to
late diagnosis, which favored
complications and denotes a matter of great concern.