Thakkar Akanksha N, Chinnadurai Ponraj, Lin C Huie
aHouston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas bSiemens Medical Solutions, Hoffman Estates, Illinois cHouston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Curr Opin Cardiol. 2017 Sep;32(5):467-474. doi: 10.1097/HCO.0000000000000429.
To define the magnitude of problems faced by patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) and to identify unmet needs for this population.
The ACHD population is estimated to include more than 1 million people in the United States and continues to grow at a steady rate. Owing to the decline in early mortality in this group, modern medicine is now faced by the long-term complications associated with congenital heart disease such as chronic heart failure, increased endocarditis risk, elevated burden of arrhythmias, pulmonary hypertension, valvular dysfunction, and pregnancy.
Increasing access to ACHD care, evolution of imaging techniques and transcatheter technology and continued efforts at quality improvement will be key to successfully facing the challenges that are a product of the astounding success of pediatric cardiac surgery.
明确成人先天性心脏病（ACHD）患者所面临问题的严重程度，并确定该人群未满足的需求。
据估计，美国的ACHD患者人数超过100万，且仍在稳步增长。由于该群体早期死亡率的下降，现代医学如今面临着与先天性心脏病相关的长期并发症，如慢性心力衰竭、感染性心内膜炎风险增加、心律失常负担加重、肺动脉高压、瓣膜功能障碍和妊娠问题。
增加ACHD护理的可及性、影像技术和经导管技术的发展以及持续的质量改进努力，将是成功应对小儿心脏手术巨大成功所带来挑战的关键。
