Corina Thomet, Markus Schwerzmann, Werner Budts, Julie De Backer, Massimo Chessa, Gerhard Diller, Andreas Eicken, Harald Gabriel, Pastora Gallego, Alessandro Giamberti, Jolien Roos-Hesselink, Lorna Swan, Gary Webb, Philip Moons
BACKGROUND: Irrespective of initial treatment for congenital heart disease (CHD) in childhood, CHD is a lifelong condition, leaving patients at risk for complications. To support uninterrupted, age- and development-based care for young persons with CHD, guidelines and consensus papers emphasise the need for formal transition programmes, including transfer to adult CHD (ACHD) clinics. Here, we surveyed existing transfer and transition programmes in European ACHD centres. Our aims were to provide a contemporary view of transitional care for patients with CHD and to evaluate progress over the last decade...
April 1, 2021: International Journal of Cardiology