Care of the adult with cyanotic congenital heart disease

Abstract

In adults with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD), medical considerations apply to nonsurgical survivors and to postsurgical patients. The special needs of these groups present a unique challenge for the adult care practitioner. Clinical management revolves around the physiologic consequences of a right-to-left shunt. The care of the cyanotic CHD patient must encompass not only the physiologic variables that set these patients apart from the "typical" adult with acquired cardiovascular disease but also the lifelong psychosocial impact of their congenital heart program.