Abstract-Pulmonary hypertension is associated with diverse cardiac, pulmonary, and systemic diseases in neonates, infants, and older children and contributes to significant morbidity and mortality. However, current approaches to caring for pediatric patients with pulmonary hypertension have been limited by the lack of consensus guidelines from experts in the field. In a joint effort from the American Heart Association and American Thoracic Society, a panel of experienced clinicians and clinician-scientists was assembled to review the current literature and to make recommendations on the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of pediatric pulmonary hypertension. This publication presents the results of extensive literature reviews, discussions, and formal scoring of recommendations for the care of children with pulmonary hypertension. Key Words: AHA Scientific Statements ◼ bronchopulmonary dysplasia ◼ congenital diaphragmatic hernia ◼ congenital heart disease ◼ genetics ◼ persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn ◼ sickle cell disease © 2015 by the American Heart Association, Inc., and the American Thoracic Society.Circulation is available at http://circ.ahajournals.org DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000329 †Deceased. The American Heart Association and the American Thoracic Society make every effort to avoid any actual or potential conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of an outside relationship or a personal, professional, or business interest of a member of the writing panel. Specifically, all members of the writing group are required to complete and submit a Disclosure Questionnaire showing all such relationships that might be perceived as real or potential conflicts of interest.This document was approved by the American Heart Association Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee on May 12, 2015, the American Heart Association Executive Committee on July 22, 2015, and the American Thoracic Society on July 24, 2015.The online-only Data Supplement is available with this article at http://circ.ahajournals.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000329/-/DC1. The American Heart Association requests that this document be cited as follows: Abman SH, Hansmann G, Archer SL, Ivy DD, Adatia I, Chung WK, Hanna BD, Rosenzweig EB, Raj JU, Cornfield D, Stenmark KR, Steinhorn R, Thébaud B, Fineman JR, Kuehne T, Feinstein JA, Friedberg MK, Earing M, Barst RJ, Keller RL, Kinsella JP, Mullen M, Deterding R, Kulik T, Mallory G, Humpl T, Wessel DL; on behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Cardiopulmonary, Critical Care, Perioperative and Resuscitation, Council on Clinical Cardiology, Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, Council on Cardiovascular Radiology and Intervention, Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia, and the American Thoracic Society. Pediatric pulmonary hypertension: guidelines from the American Heart Association and American Thoracic Society. Circulation. 2015;132:2037-2099 Copies: This document is available on the World Wide Web site of the American Heart Associat...

Background-The arrhythmia burden in tetralogy of Fallot, types of arrhythmias encountered, and risk profile may change as the population ages. Methods and Results-The

Objective The goal of this project was to quantify the prevalence of gaps in cardiology care, identify predictors of gaps, and assess barriers to care among adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients. Background ACHD patients risk interruptions in care that are associated with undesired outcomes. Methods Patients (≥18years) with first presentation to an ACHD clinic completed a survey regarding gaps in, and barriers to, care. Results Among 12 ACHD centers, 922 subjects (54% female) were recruited. A >3 year gap in cardiology care was identified in 42%, with 8% having gaps longer than a decade. Mean age at first gap was 19.9 years. The majority of respondents had more than high school education, and knew their heart condition. Most common reasons for gaps included feeling well, unaware follow-up required, and complete absence from medical care. Disease complexity was predictive of gap in care with 59% of mild, 42% of moderate and 26% of severe disease subjects reporting gaps (p<0.0001). Clinic location significantly predicted gaps (p<0.0001) while gender, race, and education level did not. Common reasons for returning to care were new symptoms, referral from provider, and desire to prevent problems. Conclusions ACHD patients have gaps in cardiology care; the first lapse commonly occurred around 19 years, a time when transition to adult services is contemplated. Gaps were more common among subjects with mild and moderate diagnoses and at particular locations. These results provide a framework for developing strategies to decrease gaps and address barriers to care in the ACHD population.