Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Advances in medicine have made it possible for children with congenital heart disease to thrive well into adulthood. But, as these individuals get older, ongoing care to support their health is crucial. 

Most defects need lifelong follow-up care even if a patient does not have symptoms. The optimal care requires specialists who understand the underlying congenital heart disease and its interaction with adult onset disease processes. 

Few specialists have training and board certification in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD). Only a few centers have dedicated programs for these patients. Because of this, less than 10% of the adults with CHD receive a gold standard of care.

University Health’s ACHD Program aims to change those statistics. We offer a gold standard of care to adults with CHD. Please call 210-644-1230 for more information.

Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at University Health

University Health is home to the only two board-certified adult congenital cardiologists in the region.

Dr. Pankaj Madan is the founding medical director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) program and has specialized training in ACHD.

Dr. Pooja Kashyap is the medical director of the ACHD transition program. She is a pediatric cardiologist with a strong interest in ensuring a smooth and seamless transition of care for patients with congenital heart disease as they move from pediatric to adult care.

At University Health, we offer a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. An ACHD specialist will meet with you first. You may also meet a surgeon, imaging specialist and interventional cardiologist. We make sure to treat you with your needs and physical condition in mind.

Patients who need treatment overnight stay at University Hospital. This lets adult and pediatric specialists to work together to provide optimal care.

Our Services

Our ACHD program provides comprehensive care in many areas such as:

• Heart surgery for congenital abnormalities
• Interventional cardiology
• Cardiopulmonary exercise testing
• Cardiac imaging including congenital echocardiography, CT and cardiac MRI
• Clinical cardiac electrophysiology and complex ablations
• Transition of adolescents with congenital heart disease into ACHD
• Cardiovascular genetics
• Heart failure
• Cardiovascular connective tissue disorders
• Pulmonary hypertension

Prenatal Care

We also collaborate with our nationally recognized Pregnancy and Childbirth team to provide: 

• Pregnancy counseling
• Genetic testing
• Care for people with high-risk pregnancies due to congenital heart defects

Adult Congenital Heart Defects We Treat

We treat a wide range of adult congenital diseases, which include but are not limited to: 

• Anomalous pulmonary venous return (partial and total)
• Aortic stenosis
• Aortopulmonary (AP) window
• Arrhythmia
• Atrial septal defects
• Atrioventricular canal defect
• Bacterial endocarditis
• Bicuspid aortic valve
• Coarctation of the aorta
• Double outlet right ventricle
• Double inlet left ventricle
• Ebstein's anomaly
• Genetic and familial aortopathies
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
• Marfan syndrome
• Mitral valve disorders
• Patent ductus arteriosus
• Pulmonary arterial hypertension
• Pulmonary stenosis
• Single ventricle defects
• Tetralogy of fallot
  
• Transposition of the great arteries
• Tricuspid atresia
  
• Truncus arteriosus
• Vascular ring
• Ventricular septal defect

Catheter-Based Treatments for Adult Congenital Heart Disease Patients

We understand managing congenital heart disease can be challenge. That's why we offer catheter-based treatments. These effective, less-invasive procedures have become vital in addressing a variety of congenital heart defects in adults.

Patient Resources

For information about billing, insurance and financial assistance programs, please visit Billing & Insurance.