Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic

Thanks to advances in both surgical treatments and medications, more and more children born with heart defects are surviving to adulthood. In addition, minor congenital heart defects that don't cause symptoms in children may be diagnosed when you're an adult. An estimated 20,000 people with congenital heart disease reach adulthood every year in the United States.

While most adults with congenital heart disease lead full and active lives, you may experience lifelong problems related to your heart defect, including abnormal heart rhythms, heart failure or deterioration of heart repair done in childhood.

The UCSF Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic offers comprehensive care that includes early detection of problems, treatment to prevent complications and surgical repair of defects. For adults with congenital heart disease, at least one visit at a center focused on the disease is recommended. For people with mild levels of disease, regular monitoring of the defect and heart function may be the only treatment necessary. For others, treatment ranges from medication to surgery, including heart and lung transplants.

At our clinic, experts who specialize in treating adults with congenital heart disease work with heart surgeons, pediatric heart specialists, diagnostic specialists and other health professionals to provide quality care for even the rarest defects.

Our mission is to enable our patients to live as active a life as possible.

Referring Physicians

For more information on the clinic's services and specialists, please see:

• Fact Sheet for Referring Physicians