Adults with CHD

When patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) are approaching adulthood, they require transfer to adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) care. This transfer should be preceded by a preparatory transition phase, which continues into adulthood according to the needs of the patient. Special healthcare organization and training programs are required to meet the needs of this patient population (see Fig. 1). The complexity of the heart defect should not be the only criterion to assign patients to a certain level of care (a simplified classification of CHD complexity is shown in Table 1).