Adult congenital services
When you are diagnosed with a heart condition you may not know what to expect.
Find out more about different pathways you may follow below.
Adult Service Southampton
The adult congenital cardiac service in Southampton sees patients who are referred following outpatient appointments, emergency patients and adults who have known about their congenital heart condition since they were a child.
Advances in earlier diagnosis, improved surgical techniques, innovative and advanced treatments and follow-up mean than many more babies born with a congenital heart condition are living into adulthood.
Adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD), also referred to as grown-up congenital heart disease (GUCH), now outnumber the babies and children with a heart condition.
Just as the babies and children need specialist care, so the adults need to be cared for by the adult congenital cardiologists who have specialist expertise and experience with this group of patients.
Find out about inpatient and outpatient care for adults with congenital heart disease, meet the patients and find some helpful links for those living with congenital heart conditions.
Further information can be found here.
Adult Service Oxford
In Oxford, adult patients can be referred into the service at the Oxford Heart Centre and Echocardiography Department from their GP, from another specialty, or following an emergency admission.
Some adult patients who have a known congenital heart condition are transitioned from the paediatric service. Other patients may not be aware of their condition until later in life, and are referred to the service for further investigations.
Adults with congenital heart disease require lifelong follow-up and it is important that patients attend their routine appointments.
The service runs regular outpatient clinics to diagnose and follow up adults with congenital heart conditions. Patients will normally have routine measurements performed which will include height, weight, blood pressure, oxygen saturations and an electrocardiogram (ECG). An echocardiogram (ECHO) may also be performed.
Find out more about Oxford ‘s adult service here.
Preparing for your surgery
Please click here to view the information booklet that has been prepared to help you and your relatives understand more about your heart operation.
You can also download the BHF Having Heart surgery leaflet here.