Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a condition present at birth that affects how your heart forms and functions. When children are born with CHD and transition into adulthood or when an adult is diagnosed with CHD, CHD becomes known as adult congenital heart disease (ACHD). The Riley Heart Center offers diagnosis and treatment aimed at improving the quality of life for those living with CHD. Whether you were diagnosed and treated as a child or received a diagnosis as an adult, lifelong medical care is crucial for monitoring your condition.
Why choose Indiana University Health and Riley Children’s Health for ACHD care?
Why choose Indiana University Health and Riley Children’s Health for ACHD care?
Many people are born with heart defects that require intervention during childhood. All individuals born with heart problems should be monitored closely throughout their lives to prevent and treat issues such as irregular heartbeats, heart failure, infections and strokes. Riley Children’s Health serves the growing population of children and adolescents transitioning into adulthood and adult congenital cardiology. With appropriate care and counseling, Riley Children’s helps adults born with heart defects live healthy, fulfilling lives.
- Lifelong treatment: The Riley Heart Center offers care for individuals with heart conditions from infancy to adulthood. We provide comprehensive monitoring and treatment to ensure lifelong health. This includes specialized care for adults with congenital heart defects (CHD). In partnership with Indiana University Health, we also provide a seamless transition for young adults ready for an adult-focused program.
- Highly skilled team: Our team includes cardiac imaging experts, cardiac interventionalists, cardiac electrophysiologists, cardiac intensivists, cardiologists board certified in ACHD, adult cardiologists, and congenital cardiothoracic surgeons. Our team works together to diagnose, treat and manage the full spectrum of CHD, from the most common to the most complex.
- Resources and education: We offer education about CHD symptoms and guide adults through lifestyle decisions from pregnancy and family planning to exercise and healthy living. This ensures your health and wellbeing are managed alongside your heart condition and other changes that may impact your health.
- Coordinated care: The Riley Heart Center partners with adult cardiologists and other specialists from IU Health to give adults with CHD access to a wide range of advanced treatments and procedures in the most appropriate setting.
How do we care for ACHD?
IU Health, in partnership with Riley Children’s, provides comprehensive care for adults with congenital heart defects. Our multidisciplinary team offers:
- Diagnosis, imaging technology and treatment for symptoms of CHD
- Access to clinical trials and new therapies
- Coordinated care for mothers and babies affected by CHD at the Fetal Center
- Pre-conception, genetic and birth counseling, through our Reproductive Health Pregnancy and Congenital Heart Disease Program and Cardiovascular Genetics Program
- Evaluation for heart transplant and post-transplant care
- Treatments could include:
- Surgeries for the treatment of CHD, including:
- Fontan procedure revision
- Septal defect closure
- Heart valve replacement or repair
- Catheter interventions such as:
- Septal defect closure
- Balloon valvuloplasty
- Catheter-based valve placement
- Electrophysiology procedures, including:
- Electrophysiology study (EP Study) and catheter ablation
- Pacemaker and defibrillator placement to treat heart rhythm conditions
- Surgeries for the treatment of CHD, including:
Conditions & Services
Conditions Treated
Our pediatric specialists provide patient- and family-centered care for most related conditions. The links below provide more specific information about some, but not all, of the conditions that we treat.
- Atrial Septal Defects
- Atrioventricular Canal Defect
- Cardiomyopathy
- Congenital Heart Disease
- D-Transposition of the Great Vessels
- Heterotaxy Syndrome
- Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)
- Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) in Children
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Truncus Arteriosus
- Ventricular Septal Defects
Services Offered
We offer a number of different Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) services. Below are some, but not all, of the services that we provide. If you have a question about a specific service that is not listed here, please contact our program.
Providers and
Locations
Providers
Locations
Locations
In addition to our primary hospital location at the Academic Health Center in Indianapolis, IN, we have convenient locations to better serve our communities throughout the state.
Program Forms & Resources
Program Forms & Resources
These resources can help you learn more about how to manage congenital heart disease.
Resources
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Riley Children's has created this resource to help ease our patients in transitioning from pediatric to adult care.
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This website, published by the American College of Cardiology, shares guidelines on care for adults with congenital heart disease. It also offers helpful information about conditions and treatments.
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National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
This research institute is part of the National Institutes of Health and publishes extensive information about congenital heart disease.
Related Programs & Departments
Related Programs & Departments
We provide multispecialty care for a number of conditions. Below are links to our related programs & departments.
Health Professionals
For Health Professionals
Specialists at the Riley Heart Center work with primary care physicians and cardiologists to provide advanced care for adults with congenital heart disease. Referring physicians may contact us at 317.944.8906 and 317.962.9700, or by fax at 317.968.1275 and 317.962.9704.
Refer A Patient
We welcome new patients affected by congenital heart disease through referrals from primary care physicians. Contact us at 317.944.8906 or 317.962.9700.
Refer A PatientResearch
Riley Heart Center specialists are active researchers who improve care for congenital heart disease and acquired heart disease through innovation. At any given time, they are engaged in numerous clinical trials and research to find better treatment options. A team of physicians, researchers and coordinators at the Riley Heart Center collect outcome data for research purposes by pediatric cardiovascular specialists working with multiple research partners, including the Indiana University School of Medicine. They also support continuous process improvement at the Riley Heart Center. Bench researchers at the Herman B. Wells Center for Pediatric Research collaborate with our physicians on studies related to heart failure in children.
Education
The Riley Heart Center offers formal fellowship training for physicians who want to advance their experience in pediatric cardiology, critical care and cardiac surgery. Part of the cardiology fellowship program at Indiana University School of Medicine includes an optional rotation within the Adults With Congenital Heart Disease Program at Riley at IU Health. Visit the Indiana University School of Medicine website for details about our fellowship program.