2018 AHA/ACC Guideline for the Management of Adults with Congenital Heart Disease

Published: August 16, 2018

atrial septal defect closure device in doctors hand
  • Congenital heart disease (CHD) encompasses a range of structural cardiac abnormalities present before birth due to abnormal fetal cardiac development but excludes inherited disorders that may have cardiac manifestations or anatomic variants.
  • Adult CHD (ACHD) prevalence has increased due to the success of pediatric cardiology and congenital cardiac surgery in diagnosing and treating congenital heart defects in children.
  • This guideline fully revises the "2008 ACC/AHA Guidelines for the Management of Adults with Congenital Heart Disease," which was the first U.S. guideline on the topic, with recommendations that leverage new data and growing ACHD expertise.