Congenital Heart Disease Surgery in Adults in KSA: A cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/ajpr.v28i4.300Keywords:
Congenital heart disease, Adults, heart surgery, Saudi Arabia.Abstract
Background: Adults with CHD often experience long-term complications, reduced quality of life (QoL), and psychosocial challenges. In Saudi Arabia, there is limited data on the clinical, demographic, and psychosocial profiles of adults undergoing surgery for CHD. This study aims to explore these aspects, with a focus on post-surgical outcomes, quality of life, and access to specialized care.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study included adult CHD patients who underwent surgical interventions and were followed at a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and medical records. The questionnaire included demographic information, clinical history, surgical details, postoperative complications, and psychosocial factors. Additionally, quality of life was assessed using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) health survey. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the findings, and correlations between demographic and clinical variables and QoL outcomes were analyzed.
Results: The study sample consisted of 386 adult CHD patients, predominantly male (72%) and married (84.2%), with 83.9% having a university-level education. The most common congenital defects were ventricular septal defect (VSD) (70.2%). Most participants (78.8%) underwent catheter-based interventions, while 9.1% had multiple surgeries and 10.4% had undergone heart transplants. Postoperative complications included arrhythmias (55.8%), blood clots (38.9%), and stroke (44.2%). Nearly one-third of participants (29.3%) reported frequent anxiety or worry about their condition, while 12.4% had a formal diagnosis of anxiety or depression. The SF-36 results indicated moderate physical functioning (mean score: 71.50), with limitations in social functioning (mean score: 50.00) and emotional health.
Conclusion: The findings highlight the complex and chronic nature of CHD in adulthood, with significant postoperative complications, psychological distress, and reduced QoL. This underscores the need for comprehensive, multidisciplinary care that integrates mental health support, patient education, and long-term follow-up.
References
1. Huang X, Gao Y, Chen W, Sheng W, Huang G. Noncardiac anomalies in children with congenital heart disease. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. 2023;10. doi:10.3389/fcvm.2023.1293210
2. Hasan AA, Lehyah NA a. A, Tarawneh MKA, et al. Incidence and types of congenital heart disease at a referral hospital in Jordan: retrospective study from a tertiary center. Frontiers in Pediatrics. 2023;11. doi:10.3389/fped.2023.1261130
3. Van Der Linde D, Konings EEM, Slager MA, et al. Birth prevalence of congenital heart disease worldwide. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2011;58(21):2241-2247. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2011.08.025
4. Spector LG, Menk JS, Knight JH, et al. Trends in Long-Term Mortality after Congenital heart surgery. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2018;71(21):2434-2446. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2018.03.491
5. Nasr VG, Staffa SJ, Faraoni D, DiNardo JA. Trends in mortality rate in patients with congenital heart disease undergoing noncardiac surgical procedures at children’s hospitals. Scientific Reports. 2021;11(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-021-81161-3
6. Gurvitz M, Burns KM, Brindis R, et al. Emerging research directions in adult Congenital heart Disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2016;67(16):1956-1964. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2016.01.062
7. Haeffele C, Bykhovsky M, Vaikunth S, Lui GK. Long-Term Follow-Up of Adults with Congenital Heart Disease. In: Pediatric Cardiology. ; 2024:2757-2791. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-07563-6_97
8. Azhar AS, AlShammasi ZH, Higgi RE. The impact of congenital heart diseases on the quality of life of patients and their families in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal. 2016;37(4):392-402. doi:10.15537/smj.2016.4.13626
9. Diller GP, Arvanitaki A, Opotowsky AR, et al. Lifespan Perspective on Congenital heart Disease Research. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2021;77(17):2219-2235. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2021.03.012
10. Javed F, Aleysae NA, Al-Mahbosh AY, et al. Complications after surgical repair of congenital heart disease in infants. An experience from tertiary care center. Journal of the Saudi Heart Association. 2021;33(4):271-278. doi:10.37616/2212-5043.1267
11. Bobhate P, Adatia I. Pulmonary hypertension in congenital heart disease. In: Springer eBooks. ; 2013:2159-2199. doi:10.1007/978-1-4471-4619-3_206
12. Bhatt AB, Foster E, Kuehl K, et al. Congenital heart disease in the older adult. Circulation. 2015;131(21):1884-1931. doi:10.1161/cir.0000000000000204
13. Skouri HN, Çavuşoğlu Y, Bennis A, et al. Expert recommendations to bridge gaps in heart failure patient support in the Middle East and Africa region. The Anatolian Journal of Cardiology. January 2023:2-18. doi:10.14744/anatoljcardiol.2023.3517
14. Pugnaloni F, Felici A, Corno AF, Marino B, Versacci P, Putotto C. Gender differences in congenital heart defects: a narrative review. Translational Pediatrics. 2023;12(9):1753-1764. doi:10.21037/tp-23-260
15. Stout K. Pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease: the importance of evaluation and counselling. Heart. 2005;91(6):713-714. doi:10.1136/hrt.2004.047886
16. Alkaya DU, Öztürk B, Ülker AY, et al. Congenital Heart Defects and Outcome in a Large Cohort of Down Syndrome: A Single-Center Experience from Turkey. Turkish Archives of Pediatrics. August 2023. doi:10.5152/turkarchpediatr.2023.23041
17. Eberly L, Jokhadar M. Commonly encountered congenital heart disease. In: Springer eBooks. ; 2020:335-349. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-47868-1_21
18. Hardman G, Zacharias J. Minimal-Access Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) closure. Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease. 2023;10(5):206. doi:10.3390/jcdd10050206
19. Cingoz F, Tavlasoglu M, Sahin MA, et al. Minimally invasive pediatric surgery in uncomplicated congenital heart disease. Asian Cardiovascular and Thoracic Annals. 2013;21(4):414-417. doi:10.1177/0218492312454669
20. Meng X, Song M, Zhang K, et al. Congenital heart disease: types, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment options. MedComm. 2024;5(7). doi:10.1002/mco2.631
21. Ntiloudi D, Rammos S, Karakosta M, Kalesi A, Kasinos N, Giannakoulas G. Arrhythmias in Patients with Congenital Heart Disease: An Ongoing Morbidity. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2023;12(22):7020. doi:10.3390/jcm12227020
22. Havers-Borgersen E, Jøns C, Butt JH, et al. Arrhythmias in congenital heart disease: A nationwide cohort study. American Heart Journal. 2024;278:139-149. doi:10.1016/j.ahj.2024.08.020
23. Bessière F, Mondésert B, Chaix MA, Khairy P. Arrhythmias in adults with congenital heart disease and heart failure. Heart Rhythm O2. 2021;2(6):744-753. doi:10.1016/j.hroo.2021.10.005
24. Moons P, Van Bulck L, Daelman B, Luyckx K. Mental health in adult congenital heart disease. International Journal of Cardiology Congenital Heart Disease. 2023;12:100455. doi:10.1016/j.ijcchd.2023.100455
25. Liu HC, Chaou CH, Lo CW, Chung HT, Hwang MS. Factors Affecting Psychological and Health-Related Quality-of-Life Status in Children and Adolescents with Congenital Heart Diseases. Children. 2022;9(4):578. doi:10.3390/children9040578
26. Mahmod AMEAA, Koko SHM. Adult congenital heart diseases: systematic review/meta-analysis. Annals of Medicine and Surgery. 2024;86(3):1606-1612. doi:10.1097/ms9.0000000000001704
27. Khajali Z, Sayyadi A, Ansari Z, Aliramezany M. Quality of life in adult patients with congenital heart disease: Results of a double-center study. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2023;13. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1062386
28. Paltzat K, Scott S, Dhaliwal KK, et al. Patient Perspectives on a Tailored Self-Management Education and Support Intervention for Low-Income Seniors with Chronic Health conditions. CJC Open. 2023;5(11):808-815. doi:10.1016/j.cjco.2023.08.002
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License permitting all use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
