Abstract
Congenital heart defects are the most common major birth defect, occurring in approximately 8 in 1000 live births.
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With approximately 3.7 million births per year in the United States, this results in 30,000 infants born with a congenital heart defect of whom approximately 25,000 will require heart surgery to correct these defects. With current day results for congenital heart operations, the majority of these patients will survive their surgery and reach adulthood. It is estimated that by the year 2000, there will be approximately 500,000 survivors of congenital heart disease in the United States,
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the majority of whom will be cared for by primary care physicians (PCP). This new group of patients is expected to grow at approximately 5% per annum. As such, the PCP, especially pediatricians, will likely care for a growing number of children and young adults with surgically repaired congenital heart disease.
This article reviews the general categories of patients with surgically treated congenital heart disease (CHD), and describes the problems commonly experienced by these patients for which medical intervention may be required after the immediate perioperative period. The importance of a team approach, comprised of the patient and family, the PCP, and the pediatric cardiologist and surgeon is emphasized. Finally, postoperative problems faced in patients with common types of congenital heart defects are reviewed in detail to help the PCP anticipate and recognize these problems so that timely consultation with the cardiologist and surgeon can be obtained.
