More than two million adults in the United States are living with congenital heart disease. Even if you had treatment or surgery as a child, your heart health needs can change over time.
You may experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, palpitations, fatigue, or changes in exercise tolerance as an adult. You may also need support navigating pregnancy, heart failure, or other adult health concerns alongside your congenital heart condition.
At WMCHealth, our board-certified specialists provide coordinated care for adults living with congenital heart disease. From lifelong monitoring to advanced surgical and catheter-based procedures, you have access to quality coordinated congenital heart care close to home.
What Is Adult Congenital Heart Disease?
Congenital heart disease means the heart did not develop normally before birth. Adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) focuses on caring for people age 18 and older who were born with these conditions.
Many adults with congenital heart disease received treatment during childhood. As they age, they may need ongoing monitoring, additional procedures, or care for adult health concerns that can affect heart function.
ACHD care combines expertise in congenital heart anatomy with an understanding of adult cardiovascular health. This specialized approach helps guide long-term care across every stage of adulthood.
Types of Adult Congenital Heart Disease
There are many types of congenital heart defects. Some involve holes in the heart’s walls. Others affect how the heart valves open and close, or how the blood vessels are connected.
Common types include:
- Atrial septal defect (ASD): A hole between the heart’s upper chambers.
- Ventricular septal defect (VSD): A hole between the heart’s lower chambers.
- Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA): A blood vessel that stays open after birth.
- Coarctation of the aorta: A narrowing of the body’s main artery.
- Transposition of the great arteries (TGA): The heart’s two main arteries are switched.
- Tetralogy of Fallot: A complex heart defect present at birth that affects blood flow through the heart.
- Single ventricle defects/Fontan circulation: A condition involving a heart with one working pumping chamber.
Some adults may not know they still need specialized congenital heart care after childhood treatment or surgery.
Georges Ephrem
Interventional Cardiology, Adult Congenital Heart Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, Internal Medicine
Locations:
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100 Woods Road ACP 1st Floor
Valhalla, NY 10595
WMCHealth Provider
Erika Berman Rosenzweig
Pediatric Cardiology, Adult Congenital Heart Disease
Locations:
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100 Woods Road ACP 1st Floor
Valhalla, NY 10595
WMCHealth Provider
Yasin Essa
Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Surgery
Locations:
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100 Woods Road ACP 1st Floor
Valhalla, NY 10595
WMCHealth Provider
Sameh Said
Thoracic Surgery, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Locations:
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100 Woods Road ACP 1st Floor
Valhalla, NY 10595
WMCHealth Provider
Coordinated Pediatric-to-Adult Heart Care
Many people with congenital heart disease receive care during childhood and continue needing support as adults. Our specialists help guide this transition from pediatric to adult-focused heart care.
Adult congenital heart disease care often involves collaboration across specialties. Your care team may include:
- Imaging specialists
- Electrophysiologists
- Heart failure specialists
- Congenital heart surgeons
- Pulmonary hypertension experts
- Liver experts
- Obstetricians
Through multidisciplinary collaboration, WMCHealth physicians coordinate care that reflects your condition, long-term health needs, and personal goals.
Bringing Specialized Congenital Heart Care Closer to Home
WMCHealth offers access to adult congenital heart disease expertise rarely available outside major metropolitan centers. Patients across the Hudson Valley and surrounding region can receive advanced, qualitycongenital heart care from our board-certified specialists closer to home.