The growing population of patients with adult congenital heart disease: novel insight into treatment, participation in competitive sport, and care planning

For the podcast associated with this article, please visit https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/pages/Podcasts. This is a Focus Issue on congenital heart disease (CHD). The population of adults with CHD has risen dramatically over the last 60 years, in large part due to the success of cardiac surgery and paediatric cardiac care. In most western civilizations, >85% of babies born with CHD can now be expected to survive to adulthood. Almost 1 in 100 babies are born with CHD, and the adult population of patients in Europe is estimated at 2.3 million and in the USA at >1 million, both outnumbering the paediatric CHD population.1,2 This leads to unique challenges that the surgical and medical community, together with the patients themselves, face.3,4 Some have largely been overcome, while others remain to be solved. In addition, there are unexpected new challenges which have emerged. This issue addresses some of these challenges regarding treatment, participation in competitive sports, and advance care planning in adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD).