Adult Congenital Heart Disease
Philadelphia Adult Congenital Heart Center
The Philadelphia Adult Congenital Heart Center was founded in 2005,
as a joint program of the University
of Pennsylvania Health System and
the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
(CHOP). To meet the demanding
needs of patients with ACHD, the
multidisciplinary team at the center
includes cardiologists, cardiovascular
surgeons, anesthesiologists, and
specialists in cardiac catheterization,
cardiac imaging, genetics, heart
failure and reproductive services.
The center is directed by Gary
Webb, MD. The surgical team is led
by co-directors Thomas L. Spray,
MD† and Alberto Pochettino, MD*.
The medical team includes
Richard Donner, MD† and
Martin St. John Sutton, MD*.
*The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
†Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Severity of ACHD Surgeries
In the United States, there are now more adults
than children with congenital heart disease.
The majority of adult congenital heart disease
(ACHD) patients have heart defects of moderate-to-severe
complexity,
and are at significant risk of premature mortality,
reoperation and
future complications relating to the disease
and its treatment.
Because their medical histories combine pediatric
surgical intervention and adult-onset comorbidities,
ACHD patients are best cared for by a
physician team familiar with both pediatric and
adult cardiology issues.
83% of ACHD surgeries at the
Philadelphia Adult Congenital Heart
Center are for conditions of moderate
and complex severity* |
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Case Study
Ms. A, a 30-year-old female, developed severe mitral regurgitation (MR)
following surgery at age 11 to repair a transitional atrioventricular
(AV) canal defect and ventricular and primum atrial septal defects. At
age 27, a full mitral valve (MV) annuloplasty and closure of the MV
cleft eliminated her MR, but led to moderate left ventricular outflow
tract obstruction.
Three years later, Ms. A came to the Hospital of the
University of Pennsylvania, where Alberto Pochettino, MD, performed
a definitive repair of her AV canal defect. Her mitral valve, stenotic
and no longer repairable, was replaced, calcified patch material
was removed, new VSD and ASD patch repairs performed, and the
tricuspid valve repaired.
One year post-surgery, Ms. A remains active
and completely symptom free, and echocardiograms reveal normal
ventricular function with well functioning valves.
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