241 - MANAGING THE UNWELL PATIENT WITH CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE IN THE CCU/ICU

Co-Chair(s)

• 

  Rafael Alonso-Gonzalez, MD, MSc

  ACHD Cardiologist
  Peter Munk Cardiac Centre
  University of Toronto
• 

  Sean Van Diepen, MD, FRCPC

  Associate Professor
  University of Alberta
  University of Alberta

Panelist(s)

• 

  Lior Bibas, MD FRCPC

  Cardiologist
  Hôpital Pierre Boucher
  Université de Montréal
• KH

  Karen Ho (she/her/hers)

  Adults with Congenital Heart Disease Fellow
  University of Alberta
• PL

  Patrick Lawler, MD, MPH, FRCPC

  Associate Professor
  CANCARE

Presenter(s)

• 

  Jasmine Grewal, MD FRCPC FACC FASE

  Professor
  University of British Columbia
  University of British Columbia
• 

  Adriana Luk, MD

  Cardiologist
  CANCARE
  Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network and St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health
• 

  Jonathan Windram, BSc (Hons), MBChB, MMEd, MRCP (UK), FCCS, FESC

  Associate Professor
  University of Alberta
  Mazankowski Heart Institute

Trainee(s)

• KH

  Karen Ho (she/her/hers)

  Adults with Congenital Heart Disease Fellow
  University of Alberta
• TM

  Tony Mao, MD

  Resident
  Resident

Moderator(s)

• 

  Jonathan Windram, BSc (Hons), MBChB, MMEd, MRCP (UK), FCCS, FESC

  Associate Professor
  University of Alberta
  Mazankowski Heart Institute

Workshop Description: One of modern medicine's great success stories is the improvement in the survival and overall life expectancy of patients born with congenital heart disease (CHD). 

With such success comes several challenges for healthcare providers. Firstly, this success has led to a rapid growth in the number of adults with congenital heart disease, with over 1.4 million adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients estimated in the US alone. The majority of adults with moderate to complex congenital heart disease will continue to suffer from complications from the surgical interventions they require in childhood, requiring them to have continued lifelong care. Unfortunately, this rapid increase has not been matched by an increase in cardiologists specializing in ACHD. Education for general cardiologists in ACHD has also been found to be lacking worldwide, and this has been shown to impact ACHD patient care significantly.

This is especially important when we consider that ACHD patients are twice as likely to be hospitalized than age-matched controls and spend twice as long in a critical care bed. Those ACHD patients with heart failure also have significantly higher resource utilization rates compared to those who do not. In this setting, it is not surprising that ICU admissions for ACHD patients are increasing, and it is anticipated that this trajectory will continue in the foreseeable future as more patients reach adulthood than in the past.

This workshop has been created with this knowledge in mind. It brings together experts in critical care and ACHD to inform the general cardiologist of the problems to consider in critically ill ACHD patients admitted to the CICU. Three expert speakers will highlight specific problems in ACHD patients in the intensive care setting. Using a case-based approach, the learner will be guided on what to consider regarding specific anatomy and physiology in the patient with complex heart disease. Valuable information in the ventilated and pregnant patients with ACHD will also be explored. To ensure high audience engagement, polling will occur in each talk, and a 15-minute Q&A panel discussion of critical care and ACHD cardiologists will occur. Two trainees will be on the panel to highlight the importance of training and gain their viewpoints in managing such complex patients.

This workshop is designed to have the appropriate gender and geographic representation.