Congenital heart disease and inherited cardiac conditions

‘Congenital heart disease’ is a term used to cover a wide range of cardiac conditions that result from an abnormality of cardiac structure or function present at birth. The majority of children with congenital heart disease are managed in specialist paediatric centres. Not all will require further treatment as they grow older, but if they do the importance of a smooth transition to adult services is important. Some patients will be cared for in specialist units that cater for adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD), whereas others may not. Most cardiac nurses working in the cardiac arena can be expected to care for adult patients with congenital heart disease at some time in their career. They might also care for patients who present for the first time in adulthood with inherited disorders that have significant cardiovascular problems. The focus of this chapter is to highlight some of the issues that ACHD patients might present with in cardiac areas that do not specialize in ACHD.