[Adult congenital heart program in a tertiary care facility of pediatric cardiology].

Introduction: Owing to excellent survival following primary repair over 80% of congenital cardiac patients reach adulthood, half of them requiring continuous specialist care and one-third needing further reoperation. The ample variety and complexity of lesions warrant individualised treatment strategy.
Objective: This study focuses on grown-up congential heart (GUCH) programme in the settings of a tertiary pediatric cardiac centre.
Methods: Patients underwent corrective surgical procedures in pediatric facilities (theatre, ICU, wards) with a close involvement of adult cardiology/anaesthetic team. Patients were divided into simple/complex groups.
Results: Simple group of comprised patients (n = 20) having ASD-II (18/20) sinus venosus ASD (2/20) repair without morbidity/mortality from right subaxillary thoracotomy in 17/20. Complex group (n = 20): corrective surgery for tetralogy of Fallot (6), LVOT-aortic valve repairs (4), allograft conduit exchange (3), TCPC (3), miscellaneous procedures (4) were performed as reoperations in 16/20 at 16.1 +/- 8.1 years following previous operations (median: 1.96, range 1-4). Postoperative right ventricle- (1), acute renal (1) failure and ARDS (1) fully recovered. One patient was lost for multi-organ-failure due to low cardiac output syndrome caused by chronic RV failure. Preoperative cyanosis was a risk factor for postoperative complications (p = 0.01). All survivors are symptom-free. No significant difference in ITU stay/LOS was observed between simple and complex groups.
Conclusions: This study represents the initial experience of authors with GUCH. The number of GUCH patients is expected to rise with an upgrade shift in surgical complexity and severity requiring a multidisciplinary approach. It is advocated that complex GUCH cases should be performed by teams experienced in congenital reconstructive surgery. Patients following complex GUCH procedures have a comparable hospital course to patients undergoing simple cardiac operations.