Adult Congenital Heart Disease

These days, the majority of babies born with congenital heart disease can expect to live into adulthood and enjoy happy, productive, lives. Still, as many as 85% of ACHD patients have moderate-to-severe defects that have been repaired but not completely corrected. Lifelong monitoring is essential. See below for a list of conditions with care guidelines recommended by the Adult Congenital Heart Association.

Ochsner offers state-of-the-art diagnostic procedures, including:

• Echocardiography and fetal echocardiography
• Cardiac MRI
• Cardiac CT
• Stress testing
• CPX (cardiopulmonary stress testing)
• Cardiac catheterizations ­(diagnostic and interventional)
• Electrophysiology tests (EP) - a test conducted to evaluate your heart's electrical system or activity and used to diagnose abnormal heartbeats or arrhythmia.
• Pacemaker and defibrillator placement and management

Family Planning and High-Risk Pregnancy Management

What forms of birth control can be risky for women with complex congenital heart disease? Will having a baby put your health at risk? Can a mother or a father pass down their condition to their children? At Ochsner, we offer comprehensive treatment for patients facing family planning issues and require high-risk pregnancy management. You have questions. Ochsner doctors have answers.

Protecting Your Heart from Infection

Is endocarditis (heart infection) something you really have to think about? Should you take antibiotics before you go to the dentist or undergo any other procedure? Even if your heart condition has been repaired or hasn't caused symptoms, you may be at risk. If you’re not sure if you need to take special precautions, you need to ask your doctor.

Know Your Heart

Take charge of your heart health. Make sure you know and understand the following:

• Details about your heart condition
• Your past treatment, test results and surgical records
• Information about your medications, including possible side effects
• Exercise guidelines
• Work restrictions, if applicable
• Recommendations regarding birth control and pregnancy
• When you should contact your doctor

If you have one of the conditions listed below, you should have periodic heart checks. A visit to an adult congenital heart disease program such as Ochsner’s is recommended to verify your diagnosis and health status, but long-term cardiac care can often be provided by your local cardiologist.

Repaired conditions:

• Patent ductus arteriosus
• Secundum atrial septal defect
• Ventricular septal defect

Repaired or unrepaired conditions:

• Aortic valve disease: aortic stenosis or aortic insufficiency
• Mitral valve disease: mitral stenosis or mitral insufficiency
• Patent foramen ovale
• Bicuspid aortic valve
• Pulmonic valve disease: pulmonic stenosis or pulmonic insufficiency

If you have one of the conditions listed below, you should be seen every one to two years or more frequently at an adult congenital heart disease program such as Ochsner’s.

Repaired or unrepaired conditions:

• Anomalous left coronary artery from pulmonary artery
• Anomalous pulmonary venous drainage (partial or total)
• Atrioventricular canal/septal defects (partial or complete)
• Ostium primum or sinus venosus ASDs
• Coarctation of the aorta
• Ebstein’s anomaly
• Infundibular right ventricular overflow obstruction (moderate to severe)
• Pulmonary valve regurgitation (moderate to severe)
• Pulmonic value stenosis (moderate to severe)
• Sinus of Valsalva fistula/aneurysm
• Subvalvar or supravalvar aortic stenosis
• Tetralogy of Fallot
• Ventricular septal defect with any valve problems and/or obstructions

Patients with these conditions should to be seen every year or more frequently at an adult congenital heart program.

Repaired or unrepaired conditions:

• Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries
• Double outlet ventricle
• Mitral atresia
• Pulmonary atresia (all forms)
• Pulmonary arterial hypertension
• Shone’s syndrome
• Single Ventricle – all forms (including but not limited to tricuspid atresia, double-inlet ventricle, hypoplastic left heart syndrome)
• Transposition of the great arteries
• Truncus arterious/hemitruncus

All patients who have undergone any of the following procedures

• Arterial switch procedure
• Blalock-Taussig shunt
• Any conduit(s), valved or nonvalved
• Fontan procedure
• Mustard procedure
• Norwood procedure
• Rastelli procedure
• Senning procedure

We also treat also treat all patients with Eisenmenger syndrome and who are cyanotic (“blue babies”).