Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Recent Highlights

Launching Grand Rounds for ACHD: Our program recently launched its first Grand Rounds series. Speakers present on a variety of topics; one recent talk was entitled “Tetralogy of Fallot: Imaging and Outcomes.”

New ACHD support group: This group meets quarterly and is open to ACHD patients and their families. ACHD experts from several disciplines – including a physician, advanced practice provider, nurse navigator, social worker and dietician – attend the meetings, answer questions, and help patients and families navigate their condition and care.

Additional expertise in cardiac genetics: The Marfan Aortopathy Clinic recently hired a cardiac geneticist and cardiac genetic counselor, enabling us to expand our care and reach a growing number of patients.

A transcatheter valve milestone: The Harmony valve is a recently approved transcatheter pulmonary valve that allows many adolescents and adults with repaired congenital heart disease to avoid surgical valve replacement. In 2023, our interventional cardiology team implanted our 20th Harmony valve since 2021.

Recognition

Reaccredited as an Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA) Comprehensive Care Center: This reaccreditation signifies that our program has met the ACHA’s rigorous standards for the care of adults with congenital heart disease. This accreditation ensures patients receive high-quality, comprehensive care from specialized experts in the field. Accreditation also promotes ongoing quality improvement; we continually assess performance, outcomes and adherence to best practices in order to drive innovation and ensure that patients receive the latest, most effective treatments.

In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital 8th in the nation for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery, showcasing our expertise from before birth through adulthood.

Innovations

Transcatheter treatment of superior sinus venosus atrial septal defect (SVASD): Traditionally, adults with SVASD required surgical treatment. Over the past few years, transcatheter treatment with covered stent placement has emerged as a treatment option for these patients. In 2023, we treated our 2nd patient with this non-surgical strategy.

Combining interventional cardiology and electrophysiology invasive procedures: ACHD patients often require interventional catheterizations as well as invasive electrophysiology studies. Whenever feasible, our interventional cardiology and electrophysiology teams collaborate and perform combined interventional catheterizations and electrophysiology studies under the same general anesthetic. In 2023, we performed 3 combined interventional cardiology/electrophysiology procedures in ACHD patients.

Combined cardiology and hepatology clinic for adults with Fontan circulation: Our combined clinic brings a cardiologist and hepatologist together to provide collaborative, multidisciplinary care for adults with Fontan circulation.

Combined ACHD and heart failure transplantation clinic: This clinic brings specialists in advanced heart failure/ transplantation and the ACHD team together to address the needs of patients who may eventually require mechanical support or heart transplantation.