More people survive congenital heart disease, but not enough cardiologists

More people survive congenital heart disease, but not enough cardiologists


Montreal – People diagnosed with congenital heart disease – a heart malformation present from birth – more of surviving thanks to medical advances in recent years, reveals a report published Tuesday by heart + stroke. However, these people need medical follow -up throughout their lives and the supply of care does not follow the pace.

Congenital heart disease is characterized by anomalies in the structure of the heart. They can touch the valves, the vessels, the walls or the cavities of the heart. About a quarter of cases of congenital heart disease are serious and affected babies must undergo medical intervention during the first year of their lives.

Since the 1970s and 1980s, important advances in care and screening have increased the survival of people born with a malformation of the heart. For example, imaging examinations make it possible to detect them better. “The vast majority of diagnoses are now at the prenatal level, that is to say that cardiac malformations are detected while the baby is still in his mother’s belly,” says Dr Gregor Andelfinger, pediatric cardiologist -Justine and heart spokesperson + stroke.

In addition, nowadays, interventions are not very invasive. Catheters can be inserted into a blood vessel and mounted to the inside of the heart where the doctor will deploy his tools, for example to unclog ships or close holes. In this way, the doctor does not need to open the thorax for an operation.

“The survival rate has improved so quickly that today there are more adults than children with congenital heart disease. This is a fantastic news, rejoices Dr Andelfinger. I’ve been doing this for 30 years and it’s incredible how the specialty has changed. One in 100 baby is born with congenital heart disease and 1 in 1000 baby, roughly, must have been operated on. The survival rate is much above 90 %. Not for all lesions, but it completely changes the landscape. ”

Better survival rate, more necessary cardiologists

Heart + stroke notes that the number of cardiologists following adults with congenital heart disease has not increased at the same rate as the number of patients. There are also lack of other health staff to ensure adequate medical follow -up.

“The workload increases in number, but above all the workload increases in intensity. Today, in 2025, it was considered a routine procedure, for example, to have children with a mechanical heart. This was not the case 15 or 20 years ago. So, it takes specialists who have a detailed training. And the workload grows much faster than the number of specialists who serves the population, ”says Dr Andelfinger.

The pediatric cardiologist asks the authorities concerned to “make available the number of nurses, technologists, specialized staff and doctors who are required for the care of this population”.

The heart + stroke report also indicates that “natives with congenital heart disease that try to obtain care can face additional and disproportionate obstacles”. On the one hand, certain types of congenital heart disease are more common in this population. It is also less likely to be recommended for prenatal screening and therefore that a diagnosis is made before birth.

Aboriginal people are also more reluctant to present themselves to medical meetings due to racism in the health system, raises the report. The shortage of indigenous health care providers is another obstacle, but procedures are underway to increase the number of native medical students in the country. However, this is a long -term objective since it takes 10 to 12 years to form a cardiologist.

Cardiologists move in the regions

Congenital heart disease is associated with a higher risk of developing heart, cognitive, depression and anxiety problems, among others. This doubles the risk of stroke and there is a risk of 9 to 13 times higher of heart failure, even in the youngest and those with a less complex disorder.

These people need long -term medical support. Canada has 32 centers specialized in congenital heart disease, including four in Quebec (Sherbrooke, Quebec and Montreal). Access seems uneven from one end of the country to the other, according to the heart rate + stroke. He specifies that only a quarter of adults with congenital heart disease in Canada benefits from monitoring in a specialized center.

Dr Andelfinger believes that Quebec is good for access to specialized care. “For more than 30 years, it has been a mission apart from several teams from the province. Cardiologists from the four centers serve the whole territory of Quebec. These are the teams that travel more than patients and specifically for long-term phases, ”he says.

Teams move even in the distant regions of the North. “It is really all the Quebec cardio-pediatricians who participate in this effort,” said Dr Andelfinger.

Sometimes patients must still go to large urban centers to receive care, especially during the more acute phases of their condition. In these situations, organizations, including the heart Foundation, offer support for housing.

The health content of the Canadian press obtains funding thanks to a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian press is the sole responsible for editorial choices.

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