CONGENITAL HEART-DISEASE IN ADULTS - COLLABORATION BETWEEN PEDIATRIC AND MEDICAL CARDIOLOGISTS

Congenital heart disease in adults has become a special area of cardio vascular interest, but remains a relatively unfamiliar discipline. Adv ances in diagnostic and surgical techniques have had a striking impact on longevity in infants and children with congenital heart disease. N evertheless, since true cures are rare, long-term care is obligatory f or most if not all patients. In parallel with diagnostic and surgical developments, advances in medical management have had a major impact o n life span in both postoperative and unoperated patients. Who will as sume responsibility for the long-term care of these adult patients? Re latively few medical cardiologists are equipped to do so and relativel y few pediatric cardiologists are sufficiently well versed with the ac crued problems of aging. Accordingly, the current approach involves co llaboration between pediatric and medical cardiologists. The purpose o f this report is to underscore the importance of this collaboration, a nd to focus on 2 particular issues - the management of cyanotic congen ital heart disease and the management of congenital heart disease and pregnancy.