Yellow fever vaccination and the thymus in adults with congenital heart disease

Aim

To highlight the potential lack of documentation of thymectomy on historic cardiac operation notes and how this impacts the safety of the yellow fever vaccination for patients who have had congenital heart surgery in childhood.

Background

With advances in treatment, the population of adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) is ever growing. Consequently, increasing numbers of patients wish to travel and work abroad. In recent years, this has presented a unique challenge in terms of the safety of the yellow fever vaccine in this patient group.