Adult Congenital Heart Program
About the program
Because of the many advances in medical care, people born with congenital heart defects (CHD) are now living into adulthood which underscores the importance of programs focused on this specialized care. The mission of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program within The Heart Center at Children’s Hospital New Orleans is to provide comprehensive care for the adolescent and adult with congenital heart disease regardless of age or illness severity. Our clinic offers a complete range of diagnostic and treatment services for patients with adult congenital heart disease, including minimally-invasive procedures.
The Heart Center at Children’s Hospital New Orleans is committed to becoming the comprehensive cardiac provider of choice for adults with congenital heart disease across the state of Louisiana and the Gulf South. We have also established a transition clinic that works with teens into adulthood, enabling them to understand the care that is needed as the grow up. This gives our parents whose children have grown up in our care peace of mind knowing they can stay within our system.
Our highly qualified team strives to deliver an exceptional patient experience combining rigorous standards of care with a holistic approach that supports the patient’s personal health goals. Our partnership with LCMC adult hospitals ensures that our patients will be able to readily access board-certified adult congenital cardiologists as well as any necessary adult specialty care that includes family planning, maternal fetal medicine specialists, cardiovascular surgeons, interventional cardiologists and electrophysiology specialists.
What makes us different
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Our physicians are trained in both pediatric and adult cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery. At the ACHD clinic at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, our outcomes are significantly better than the national average for congenital heart patients.
Conditions we treat
ACHD patients need continued monitoring throughout their lifetime. Many will need further surgical or medical interventions at different stages in their life.
Our specialists treat adults who were diagnosed during childhood with any of the below conditions. Our specialized cardiologists can monitor adults on a regular basis to help them manage their congenital heart condition and if surgical or non-invasive catheterization procedure is needed to repair a defect, our surgeons and interventional cardiologists are available to consult with the patient and do the procedure. We also care for patients who didn’t realize they had a congenital heart condition until they reached adulthood and started having symptoms for the first time.
- Septal defects
- Valvular anomalies
- Coarctation of the aorta
- Interrupted or hypoplastic aortic arch
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Transposition of the great arteries
- Total anomalous pulmonary venous return
- Ebstein’s anomaly
- Truncus arteriosus
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) or single ventricle variants (e.g. tricuspid atresia)
- Chest wall deformities including pectus excavatum and carinatum
- Diseases involving the lungs, pleura or diaphragm as well as implantation of pacemakers
- Congenital coronary artery abnormalities
Transitioning your teen to the ACHD program
We want our teenagers born with congenital heart disease to be successful as they transition their medical care into adulthood. Our goal is to educate your teen on what’s next for their care and how to treat their condition including discussing the below things with each of them and answering all their questions about:
- Understanding their heart condition and their heart history
- How to take ownership over their care, especially if they’ll be away at college
- Understanding potential issues that may come up with their condition and when to call their cardiologist
- Discussing their medications and how to administer them on their own
- The importance of exercising and eating right
- The risks of drug and alcohol use especially as it relates to their heart condition
- Understanding the need for lifelong care with a cardiologist trained in ACHD
- Learning about potential future heart health needs, including testing, surgeries and procedures
- How to find a primary care doctor after age 18
- Learning about family planning needs, including contraception, considerations for pregnancy and genetic implications
Genetics and family planning for adults with congenital heart disease
The genetics of congenital heart disease are complex and variable and it is important to understand the background of the disease in order to manage a genetic condition and for family planning purposes
Understanding the genetics behind the disease can help determine whether congenital heart disease will occur again in other family members and evaluate the need for further family screening.
Our Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program provides:
- Genetic counseling and education
- Family history risk assessment
- Management of genetic conditions
- Diagnostic genetic testing
- Family planning discussions
Our Adult Congenital Providers
Adult Congenital Care is provided via board certified adult congenital cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, electrophysiologists, interventional cardiologists, radiologists, a nurse practitioner, dedicated full time registered nurse, a heart center social worker and a clinical care coordinator.