Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect. Between 8 and 10 out of every 1,000 children are born with a malformation of the heart or great vessels, and at least 6 out of every 1,000 have moderate or severe congenital heart disease.

Thanks to the efforts of paediatric cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, over the last four decades survival into adulthood has exceeded 85%, whereas before the development of cardiac surgery only 25% survived beyond the first year of life.

This significant change in survival has meant that in Spain, each year, around 2,000 children with congenital heart disease reach adulthood, and it is estimated that the adult population with congenital heart disease will soon exceed the paediatric population. This reality is creating a new patient population, with specific clinical characteristics, who require appropriate medical care.

In view of this situation, in the Heart Area of the Virgen de la Victoria University Clinical Hospital we decided to create a dedicated adult congenital heart disease clinic, aimed at caring for all patients over 14 years of age with congenital heart disease, whether corrected or not, as well as those diagnosed in adulthood. Its purpose is to optimise the medical care of patients in our healthcare area with congenital heart disease.

Access to this clinic is through the general cardiology clinic, to which you must first be referred by your family doctor. Patients may also be referred directly by requesting a first follow-up appointment at the Cardiology Secretariat. To do so, they must bring a Paediatric Cardiology report from the Maternal Hospital referring the patient for follow-up in our clinic.

Mission of the Heart Area

The mission of the Heart Area of the Virgen de la Victoria University Clinical Hospital is to improve people’s quality of life and address vascular health challenges in an innovative and sustainable way, in a welcoming, high-quality, safe and personalised environment.