Congenital heart disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension End of an era?

Many years ago Victor Eisenmenger was the first to describe a cyanotic patient with a condition he did not fully understand. He named it Eisenmenger syndrome. A century later physicians and researchers still struggle to deliver optimal care to patients with Eisenmenger syndrome and other forms of pulmonary arterial hypertension due to congenital heart disease (PAH-CHD). We have entered a new era in which congenital heart disease (CHD) is diagnosed more often and earlier than before, due to advancements in cardiac imaging. The successes of cardiac surgery have resulted in a dramatically increased life expectancy of children with congenital heart disease. Unfortunately, this prolonged survival puts patients at higher risk for devastating complications such as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This thesis – Congenital heart disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension: end of an era? – focuses on risk stratification in adult patients with PAH-CHD, the various treatment options available, new indications for therapy perioperatively and a sports encouragement program for patients with CHD.