Lifelong Care for Congenital Heart Disease: Key Challenges and Novel Solutions in Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect and a lifelong condition for a growing number of patients worldwide. Advances in fetal and postnatal diagnosis, surgical and transcatheter interventions, perioperative care, and longitudinal surveillance have transformed survival and functional outcomes for both simple and complex CHDs. However, increased survival has increasingly shifted the focus of pediatric cardiology from short-term procedural success to lifelong care, where outcomes are shaped by timely diagnosis, appropriate choice and timing of intervention, prevention and treatment of late complications, and sustained follow-up across childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.In real-world settings, patients with CHD may experience delayed diagnosis, fragmented care pathways, loss to follow-up, and inequities in access to specialized cardiac services. Long-term morbidity including arrhythmias, ventricular dysfunction, valve disease, neurodevelopmental and psychosocial challenges, and pulmonary vascular disease, can accumulate across the life time, requiring individualized surveillance and management strategies. Meanwhile, evolving treatment approaches such as minimally invasive surgical techniques, hybrid procedures, and novel perioperative and catheter-based innovations offer potential benefits, but must be evaluated rigorously for safety, reproducibility, patient-centered outcomes, and long-term effectiveness.Goal This Research Topic is intended to invite high-quality manuscripts that advance evidence-based lifelong care for both simple and complex CHD, spanning fetal diagnosis, surgical and transcatheter treatment through management of long-term sequalae and transition to adult congenital services and end-of-life care. We particularly welcome work that addresses disparities in access to care and generates scalable solutions relevant to diverse health systems globally.Scope and Information for AuthorsWe welcome submissions addressing (but not limited to) these following topics:Diagnosis across the lifespan• Fetal and neonatal detection, screening strategies, and referral pathways.• Novel and advanced imaging and functional assessment (echocardiography, CT, MRI), and AI-assisted diagnostic models.• Genetics and precision phenotyping modalities that informs long-term management.• Novel risk stratification tools that predict procedural and long-term outcomes.Surgical and transcatheter treatment across the lifespan• Novel surgical and transcatheter intervention strategies across CHD complexity spectra.• Minimally invasive CHD surgery (including thoracoscopic, small-incision approaches, hybrid procedures): program implementation, safety, reproducibility, comparative outcomes.• Perioperative and ICU innovations that improve short- and long-term outcomes.• Patient-centered evaluations: recovery trajectories, functional status, and health-related quality of life.Transition to advanced heart failure therapies and end-of-life care• Indications for referral to advanced heart failure programs in CHD patients.• Timing and selection for mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation (including bridging strategies).• Outcomes after transplant for CHD: survival, complications, functional recovery, and quality of life.• End-of-life care planning and integration of palliative care into complex CHD management pathways.Long-term management and lifelong follow-up• Surveillance and treatment of long-term sequalae and late complications: ventricular dysfunction, valve disease, arrhythmias, heart failure, residual lesions, reinterventions, etc.• Transition programs to adult congenital heart disease care; continuity models that reduce loss to follow-up across diverse healthcare setting.• Neurodevelopmental, psychosocial, and family-centered care integrated into CHD management pathways.• Digital health, remote monitoring, and care coordination models for longitudinal management.Pulmonary vascular disease and PAH-CHD as a lifelong challenge• CHD-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension: phenotyping, risk stratification, operability assessment, treat-and-repair strategies, and longitudinal outcomes.• Management pathways across childhood to adulthood, including follow-up metrics beyond survival.Health-systems and equity• Structural and social determinants of outcomes: geography, cost and financing issues related to CHD care, workforce, referral networks, follow-up barriers, etc. Topic editors: Zhanhao Su, Anastasia D. Egorova, Ka-Chun Un Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77017/lifelong-care-for-congenital-heart-disease-key-challenges-and-novel-solutions-in-diagnosis-treatment-and-management