Transitioning adolescents with congenital heart disease into adult health care.

The effort and commitment dedicated to the treatment of children with congenital heart disease over the past 50 years has been astounding. Therefore, it is imperative to ensure these young patients who have survived the varying challenges of their conditions a smooth transition into a new world of adult health care. The key to the long-term management of an increasing number of children surviving congenital heart disease is the effective coordination of care from pediatric to adult health care. Strategies for facilitating the transition of the adolescent with congenital heart disease into adult health care practices are presented in this paper. Copyright 2003 CHF, Inc.