The number one issue facing congenital heart defect patients is raising awareness for what is the number one birth defect in the USA. There is a constant challenge to find a way to either advance medical technology to the point that the surgical repairs needed by CHD patients would be less risky, or having to perform the surgery on critically ill patients that might be too dangerous for them to handle. Medical technology has advanced in recent decades making the diagnosis and treatment of infant CHD more tolerable. However, with more CHD patients surviving into adulthood, the need for specialty cardiologists has never been granted. Providing these cardiologists and surgeons involved with CHD patients the tools to detect, care for and repair CHD is a big issue. I have been fortunate in my career to be involved innovating novel medical devices including coronary stents. These stents allow for less invasive surgery and lowers the risk for complicated corrections in the heart. More research is needed to address the placement of these devices in young children so as they grow the device can “grow” with them avoiding multiple surgeries as the CHD patient ages. Ultimately, genetic research may be the answer to finding the cause of CHD and potentially preventing their occurrence.
