Congenital heart disease natural history, complications and prognosis

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 * Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Priyamvada Singh, M.B.B.S. [mailto:psingh@perfuse.org], Keri Shafer, M.D. [mailto:kshafer@bidmc.harvard.edu], Atif Mohammad, M.D.; Assistant Editor(s)-In-Chief: Kristin Feeney, B.S. [mailto:kfeeney@perfuse.org]

Overview
Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect. With the advancement of surgical technique, there has been significant improvement in the prognosis of congenital heart disease patients.

Prognosis
The prognosis of patients with congenital heart diseases has improved considerably over the few past decades due to advancements in surgical techniques. The prognosis post surgical correction depends on the following factors:


 * Hemodynamic status
 * Presence of residual defects
 * Condition of myocardium
 * Presence of cardiac electrical instability

In recent years there has been significant decrease in surgical mortality. There has been a marked improvement in hemodynamic function. The recent decrease in non-electrical complications post surgery has shifted the focus towards decreasing complications due to defects in conduction system (induced post surgery). Recent studies have shown that increased efforts are required to protect the conduction system more specifically, His bundle.