Congenital Cardiology Expertise for Your Whole Health
Today, more adults are living — and thriving — with adult congenital heart disease, thanks to advances in treatment, diagnosis and therapies. We’ll be at your side to support every step of your care plan, so you can make every memory, seize every opportunity and reach every milestone.
Our team has specialized training and experience caring for congenital heart failure in adults. We’re continually innovating our care for you, seeking new treatments to ease your symptoms, delivering leading-edge therapies to help you manage your condition and empowering you to nourish your body, mind and spirit.
We’re here to help you find the right physician or a location that’s convenient for you.
Understanding Adult Congenital Heart Disease
- What Is Congenital Heart Disease?
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Congenital heart defects develop before birth and can affect the way blood flows into your heart.
It’s possible to have congenital heart disease without experiencing any problems. That’s why it often isn’t even diagnosed until adulthood. However, complex congenital heart disease can be life-threatening.
Whatever your condition, and whenever you received your diagnosis, our congenital cardiology team is here to help you maintain a healthy, fulfilling life.
- What Causes Congenital Heart Disease in Adults?
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While some heart defects in adults are genetic, there isn’t a clear cause. Researchers continue to study congenital heart disease to understand its cause and how to prevent it. Our team will work with you to understand your symptoms and develop a treatment plan that best meets your needs.
- What Are the Risk Factors for Heart Defects in Adults?
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Many risk factors increase the likelihood a baby will develop a congenital heart defect, including:
- Alcohol use during pregnancy
- Contracting German measles (rubella) during pregnancy
- Genetics
- The mother has Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes during pregnancy
- Smoking during pregnancy
- Taking certain medications during pregnancy (lithium and isotretinoin, for example)
- Are There Different Types of Congenital Heart Disease?
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Many types of congenital heart disease exist, including those that don’t cause any symptoms and complex congenital heart disease cases that require ongoing management. The most common types of heart defects in adults include:
- Atrial and ventricular septal defects
- Cyanotic congenital heart defects
- Congenital valve defects
- Coarctation of the aorta (CoA)
- Ductal dependent congenital heart disease
- Ebstein anomaly
- Patent ductus arteriosus
- Patent foramen ovale
- Pulmonary artery stenosis
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)
- Transposition of the great arteries (TGA)
- How Is Congenital Heart Disease in Adults Diagnosed?
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A congenital heart disease diagnosis typically happens during an anatomy ultrasound at the 20-week gestation or at birth. However, it’s quite common that patients aren’t diagnosed until symptoms appear in adulthood.
If you begin experiencing troubling symptoms, such as shortness of breath, trouble exercising or unexplained weight loss, your doctor may order diagnostic tests to evaluate your heart's function. These tests may include:
- Cardiac catheterization
- Chest X-ray
- Echocardiogram
- Electrocardiogram
- Intravascular ultrasound
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Positron emission tomography (PET) scans
- Transesophageal echocardiogram
Exploring Your Treatment Options
Today, there are many effective congenital heart disease treatments. Your cardiologist will work closely with you to understand your medical history, symptoms and, most importantly, your goals. Together, you’ll create a plan that’s right for you.
Medication might be a part of your treatment to manage congenital heart disease at some point along your health journey. Your heart specialist will help you determine if this is the right choice for you, craft a medication plan and answer any questions that you have.
Your comfort and safety are always our top priorities. Our experienced team is at the forefront of advanced minimally invasive technology to provide you with alternatives to open-heart surgery, like:
- Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to replace damaged or diseased aortic valves
- Patent foramen ovale (PFO) closures to repair holes in the heart's chambers
- MitraClip® device placements to fix leaky heart valves, treating mitral regurgitation
- TriClip device placements to repair the heart's tricuspid valves, treating tricuspid regurgitation
Many of our minimally invasive procedures are performed through a catheter placed in a vein in your inner thigh, which typically means fewer complications and a shorter recovery time.
Our highly skilled surgeons perform a variety of cardiac surgical interventions, including:
- Aorta repair and replacement
- Aortic valve surgery
- Atrial septal defect repair
- Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or heart bypass surgery
- Hypoplastic left heart repair surgery
- Mitral valve surgery
- Tetralogy of Fallot repair surgery
- Transposition of great vessels repair
- Tricuspid atresia repair
- Tricuspid valve surgery
- Truncus arteriosus repair
- Ventricular septal defect repair
If an open-heart procedure is right for you, your cardiovascular team will determine the best treatment plan for you to help you feel whole again.
Cardiologists Who Put Your Heart First
Your heart supports your whole health — and so do our physicians. Count on our experienced cardiologists near you to design a treatment plan tailored to your unique needs, so your heart can beat stronger for longer.
Find Heart Care Near You
Across the country, each of our locations offering congenital heart disease care contributes to the strength of the AdventHealth Cardiovascular Institute network. Explore your options for care close to home with the guidance of our dedicated team. We’ll help you find the right fit, so you’re in the best setting to get the care you need.