Grown Up Congenital Heart Diseases (GUCH): A Review

• Main Authors: Ajmer Singh, Bhuvnesh Kansara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2013-10-01
• Series: The Indian Anaesthetists' Forum
• Online Access: http://www.theiaforum.org/Article_Folder/Grown-Up-Congenital-Heart-Diseases-Review.pdf

The survival of children with congenital heart disease into adulthood has increased. These patients may require primary cardiac surgical repair, repair after prior palliation, revision of repair for residual lesion, or non-cardiac surgery. Preoperative cardiac evaluation consists of review of laboratory data, echocardiography, cardiac MRI, CT, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, arrhythmia monitoring, and cardiac catheterization. Perioperative complications are more frequently seen in high-risk patients i.e. those with pulmonary hypertension, cyanosis, heart failure, and poor general health. Guidelines for the management of patients with grown up congenital heart (GUCH) diseases suggest that such patients are best treated in dedicated tertiary care centres by a multidisciplinary team, knowledgeable about the anatomy and pathophysiology of the lesion.