[Pediatric cardiology and congenital heart disease: from fetus to adult]

Abstract

This article contains a review of some of the most important publications on congenital heart disease and pediatric cardiology that appeared in 2010 and up until September 2011. Of particular interest were studies on demographic changes reported in this patient population and on the need to manage the patients' transition from the pediatric to the adult cardiology department. This transition has given rise to the appearance of new areas of interest: for example, pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease, and the effect of genetic factors on the etiology and transmission of particular anomalies. In addition, this review considers some publications on fetal cardiology from the perspective of early diagnosis and, if possible, treatment. There follows a discussion on new contributions to Eisenmenger's syndrome and arrhythmias, as well as on imaging techniques, interventional catheterization and heart transplantation. Finally, there is an overview of the new version of clinical practice guidelines on the management of adult patients with congenital heart disease and of recently published guidelines on pregnancy in women with heart disease, both produced by the European Society of Cardiology.