Congenital heart diseaseCohort study
Preventing cardiovascular complications in adults with congenital heart disease: predictors and outcomes of the levels of follow-up care
- Longitudinal cohort study
- multicentre (3 hospitals, Belgium)
- time-varying lagged Cox regression
Authors' conclusion
Both levels of specialized and non-specialized ACHD cardiac follow-up care were protective for certain clinical outcomes
Study context
- Population
- Adults with congenital heart disease (adult congenital heart disease (ACHD)) at three hospitals in Belgium79,065 patient years
- Participants
- 10,459 adults
- Exposure
- Levels of follow-up care: specialized ACHD vs non-specialized ACHD vs non-cardiac follow-up vs no follow-up
- Outcome
- HF, arrhythmias, valvular problems, infective endocarditis, myocardial ischemia, thromboembolic events, pulmonary arterial hypertension
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Levels of follow-up care and outcomes
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Complex defects: patient years in specialized ACHD care
- Specialized ACHD care in complex defects
- 52%
Predictors of higher levels of follow-up
- Male sex, genetic syndrome and no intervention history predicted higher levels of follow-up
Original publication
Preventing cardiovascular complications in adults with congenital heart disease: predictors and outcomes of the levels of follow-up care. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 16 December 2025. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf763
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it