Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic

Because of improved treatment for kids with congenital heart disease, the majority of babies born with even the most complex heart defects are surviving into adulthood. Recent advancements in diagnosis, surgery, interventional procedures and medication mean that more and more kids with heart defects are growing up to lead full, active lives.

Experts from two hospitals working together

Children’s Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado School of Medicine and University of Colorado Hospital have teamed up to create the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic that brings together renowned experts from both hospitals. This multidisciplinary, collaborative program enables us to provide the best possible care for adolescent and adult patients with congenital heart disease.

As part of the program, heart doctors and surgeons work together at both hospitals and utilize resources from both facilities to provide optimal care that neither institution could provide alone. Outpatient visits, surgeries and procedures take place at Children’s Colorado and University of Colorado Hospital based on the needs of each patient. We also help ensure a smooth transition from a pediatric to an adult hospital setting when the time is right for our adult patients.

Learn more about adult congenital heart disease.

Treating heart disease in adults

Treatment options in the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic include:

• Less invasive treatment options such as transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement, coarctation stenting and transcatheter atrial septal defect occlusion
• Complex electrophysiology procedures
• Surgical repair/revision of structural defects in the heart
• Medications used to control symptoms and improve the heart’s function

Caring for women with heart defects

Women with congenital heart defects have unique needs in terms of contraception, pregnancy and monitoring. Women with adult congenital heart disease are also at a higher risk of having children born with heart disease. That’s why when a woman with a heart problem becomes pregnant, she will likely require specialized surveillance, prenatal care and possibly treatment due to the many changes the body undergoes during pregnancy.

Our Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic offers an entire care team dedicated to women. The multidisciplinary team includes adult congenital cardiologists who specialize in pregnancy and heart disease in high-risk moms, fetal cardiologists, obstetricians, perinatologists, pediatricians, geneticists and anesthesiologists. Such a collaborative approach helps create the healthiest pregnancy possible during such an important time for a mom and her baby.

We’re accredited by the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA)

Effective March 2017, our Clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado/University of Colorado Hospital was accredited as an Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Comprehensive Care Center by the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA). The ACHA in conjunction with leading ACHD providers across the country developed criteria for this accreditation, and we are one of the pilot sites.

Those adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) need specialized care and testing that can only effectively be provided by ACHD specialists. Through the ACHA ACHD Accreditation Program, those with CHD can receive quality care in qualified centers. As care within the CHD world has been evolving within the past 25 years, we are moving forward to ensure that quality care and access is available to all patients, and when they are unable to be seen locally within an ACHD center, they are able to work with accredited providers to close the gap in care. For more information about ACHA or the ACHA ACHD Accreditation Program, please call 888-921-ACHA or check out their website.