Treatment

Congenital heart disease can often be treated successfully in childhood. However, some heart defects may not be serious enough to repair during childhood, but they can cause problems as you grow older.

Treatment of congenital heart disease in adults depends on how severe your heart problem is. You may simply be monitored, or you may need medications or surgery.

Watchful waiting

Relatively minor heart defects might require only occasional checkups with your doctor to make sure your condition doesn't worsen. Ask your doctor how often you need to be seen.

Medications

Some mild congenital heart defects can be treated with medications that help the heart work more efficiently. You might also need medications to prevent blood clots or to control an irregular heartbeat.

Surgeries and other procedures

Several surgeries and procedures are available to treat adults with congenital heart disease.

• Implantable heart devices. A device that helps control your heart rate (pacemaker) or that corrects life-threatening irregular heartbeats (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator or ICD) may help improve some of the complications associated with congenital heart defects.
• Catheter-based treatments. Some congenital heart defects can be repaired using catheterization techniques. These treatments allow a repair to be done without open-heart surgery. Instead, the doctor inserts a thin tube (catheter) into a leg vein or artery and guides it to the heart with the help of X-ray images. Once the catheter is positioned, the doctor threads tiny tools through the catheter to repair the defect.
• Open-heart surgery. If catheter procedures can't fix your heart defect, your doctor might recommend open-heart surgery.
• Heart transplant. If a serious heart defect can't be repaired, a heart transplant might be an option.

Follow-up care

If you're an adult with congenital heart disease, you're at risk of developing complications — even if you had surgery to repair a defect during childhood. Lifelong follow-up care is important. Ideally, a cardiologist trained in treating adults with congenital heart defects will manage your care.

Follow-up care may include regular doctor checkups and occasional bloodwork and imaging exams to screen for complications. How often you'll need to see your doctor will depend on whether your congenital heart disease is mild or complex.