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Congenital heart specialists


Congenital heart disease is one or more problems with the heart's construction that are present from birth. Congenital means that you were born with a defect. Congenital heart disease, also called a congenital heart defect, can change the way blood flows through your heart. Some congenital heart defects may not cause any problems. However, complex defects can cause grievous complications.

Advances in diagnosis and treatment have allowed children with congenital heart disease to survive into adulthood. Former the signs and symptoms of congenital heart disease don't appear until you're an adult. If you have congenital heart disease, you will likely need care throughout your life. Inquire your doctor to determine how often you need to be tested.

Types

All cardiologists are not the same. While each doctor undergoes education and training related to the heart, they specialize in different types of heart problems. It is important that you be treated by a cardiologist trained in caring for the type of heart disease you have.

There are two major types of heart problems:

Congenital – Heart abnormalities present at birth.

  • Some examples are holes in the heart, deformed valves or pump chambers

  • It is most often diagnosed in infancy

  • Usually there is no specific cause or prevention

Acquired – Heart abnormalities that develop over time.

  • Examples include coronary artery disease, weak heart muscles, and valve leakage

  • It is often diagnosed later in life

  • It may be caused by smoking, infection, or diseases such as diabetes

If you have congenital heart disease (CHD), it is important that your health care team understands your unique heart. Patients with coronary artery disease can have hearts that look and function differently than a normal heart. Some hearts can be underdeveloped or on the other side of the chest or with vessels in abnormal places.

While it may seem strange to the untrained eye, it may be normal for someone trained in the treatment of CHD. Congenital cardiologists understand all the unique ways hearts can be formed and the surgeries used to treat them.

There are two types of congenital cardiologists:

Pediatric congenital cardiologist

  • It treats infants and children with coronary heart disease

  • Diagnosis of coronary artery disease in infants

  • Defines treatment plans

  • Cares about the growth of the heart

  • It determines whether initial intervention (catheter or surgery) is necessary

Adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) cardiologist

  • It treats adolescents and adults with coronary artery disease

  • It takes care of the aging heart

  • Cares about hearts when the body changes like during pregnancy or illness

  • He watches hearts to make sure his childhood surgeries are still working

  • Determines whether secondary intervention is required

If you have a heart condition, it is imperative that you see a cardiologist trained in treating your type of problem. Congenital heart patients have very unique hearts and undergo specialized surgeries. A congenital cardiologist understands congenital heart disease and what treatments are best.

ACHD cardiologists have dedicated their careers to treating adults with coronary heart disease. You care enough about your car to find the right kind of specialist, shouldn't you do the same for your heart?

Treating Congenital Heart Conditions in Adult Patients

Congenital heart disease means there is a problem with the structure of your heart that is present from birth. Congenital heart disease is usually diagnosed in infancy or childhood, and people diagnosed early deal with it throughout their lives, requiring ongoing care and potentially additional surgeries. Others do not know about their illness until adulthood and try to understand what that means for them. The University of Michigan Adult Congenital Heart Program has experience caring for both types of patients, and our program also works closely with the Michigan Congenital Heart Center. 

Reasons You Might Need Adult Congenital Heart Care

Congenital heart disease affects at least 1 in 100 live births. Its severity ranges on a wide range, from small holes between the heart chambers that close naturally, to abnormal, life-threatening structures, such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which require a series of complex surgeries. As an adult with congenital heart disease, you may need our program sponsorship for a number of reasons; For example, you can:

  • Be at risk of developing an arrhythmia (arrhythmia)

  • You had surgery as a child and it would require another surgery as an adult

  • You underwent a transplant as a child and are now too small for your adult body

  • The valve was replaced as a child which had worn off over time

  • You are pregnant or want to become pregnant, and you and your baby need to be monitored regularly

Medications

Some mellow intrinsic heart imperfections can be treated with meds that help the heart work all the more proficiently. You may also need medicines to prevent blood clots or to control an irregular heartbeat.

Surgeries and other procedures

A few medical procedures and methodology are accessible to treat grown-ups with inherent coronary illness.

  • Implantable heart devices. A device that helps control the heart rate (pacemaker) or that corrects a life-threatening irregular heartbeat (an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator or cardioverter and defibrillator) may help improve some complications associated with heart defects Congenital.

  • Catheter-based treatments.Some congenital heart defects can be repaired using catheterization techniques. These treatments allow repair without open heart surgery. Instead, the doctor inserts a thin tube (catheter) into a vein or artery in the leg and guides it to the heart with the help of X-ray images. Once the catheter is in place, the doctor passes small tools through the catheter to repair the defect.

  • Open-heart surgery. On the off chance that catheter methodology can't fix your heart deformity, your primary care physician may suggest open-heart medical procedure.

  • Heart transplant. If a serious heart defect cannot be repaired, a heart transplant may be an option.

Follow-up care

If you are an adult with congenital heart disease, you are at risk of developing complications - even if you underwent surgery to repair a defect during childhood. Lifelong follow-up care is important. Ideally, a cardiologist trained in treating adults with congenital heart defects will care for you.

Follow-up care may include regular check-ups of the doctor and occasional blood and imaging tests to detect complications. How often you will need to see your doctor depends on whether your congenital heart disease is mild or complex.


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