Key points Pregnancy increases cardiac output and intravascular volume, which increases gradients across stenotic lesions and can exacerbate heart failure in patients with severe valvular stenosis. Intravascular volume increases in the immediate postpartum period, and high-risk patients require 48 to…
Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) have multiple mechanisms placing them at risk for heart failure, leading one author to refer to CHD as “the original heart failure syndrome.” These mechanisms include chronic pressure and/or volume loading, inadequate myocardial preservation…
Additional content is available online at Elsevier eBooks for Practicing Clinicians General Considerations The number of adults living with congenital heart disease (CHD) is growing faster than the number of children with CHD, and now is estimated to be at…
Congenital coronary artery (CA) anomalies (CAAs) encompass a diverse spectrum of pathology. They include both benign variations in CA anatomy as well as patterns that predispose to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Broadly speaking, congenital CA anomalies include abnormalities in (…