Congenital Heart Disease

The Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program is the first integrated program in Connecticut dedicated to the care of adult patients with complex congenital heart disease.

This multidisciplinary program encompasses the full spectrum of care and provides continuity for adults living with congenital heart disease. The Adult Congenital Heart Program provides regular inpatient and outpatient services to the most complex adult congenital heart patients, offering a full spectrum of imaging, exercise testing and surgical and less-invasive catheterization therapies.

Our expert care team includes a cardiologist who is board-certified in pediatric and adult cardiology; a pediatric cardiologist; an adult cardiologist; pulmonologists; an advanced practice nurse; genetic counselors and a social worker.

Working with our colleagues in adult medicine, patients 18 years and older who were successfully diagnosed and treated as children, as well as adults diagnosed with heart defects for the first time, receive detailed education about their underlying congenital heart defect, its management, and the implications on future functioning.

Patients have access to advanced diagnostic imaging, including echocardiography and MRI.

The Adult Congenital Heart team collaborates with specialists in high-risk obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine, cardiac imaging, cardiac transplantation, cardiothoracic surgery and sub-specialists in related areas, including kidney disease.

Experts in congenital electrophysiology offer potential curative therapies for life-threatening arrhythmias. Congenital and acquired cardiovascular diseases that require surgical intervention are managed by our team of pediatric and adult cardiovascular surgeons with an experience that spans three decades.

Symptoms

We care for a broad range of health concerns, but commonly encountered problems in ACHD patients including:

• Unrepaired congenital defects
• Complications associated with early surgical repair
• Heart failure
• Heart rhythm problems, including pacemakers and defibrillators
• Pregnancy issues

Diagnosis

Many patients wait to treat their congenital heart disease. Imaging, including echocardiograms (ultrasound) and MRI, allow us to diagnose problems before they limit your ability to live and work symptom-free.

Treatment

Our ACHD team is involved at every step along the way. Cardiac catheterizations, including non-invasive placement of valves, are done by experts in congenital heart disease. Surgery for ACHD is done by one of our heart surgeons who specialize in congenital heart disease.

Conditions we treat include:

• Atrial septal defect (ASD)
• Ventricular septal defect (VSD)
• Atrioventricular canal defect
• Bicuspid aortic valve
• Pulmonary stenosis
• Coarctation of the aorta
• Ebstein's anomaly
• Transposition of the great arteries, including those who have had a Mustard or Senning operation or arterial switch operation
• Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries
• Tetralogy of Fallot
• Complex single ventricle patients, including those who had a Fontan operation
• Cyanotic heart disease
• Patients who had a Ross operation as a child
• Congenital coronary anomalies, including ALCAPA (anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery)