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Washington Adult Congenital Heart Program Conditions & Treatments Locations Resources for Families Contact Information Request an Apppointment     Email This Page Print This Page           Washington Adult Congenital Heart Program Children’s National Heart Institute Developed in partnership with Washington Hospital Center, the Washington Adult Congenital Heart (WACH) program is a specialized consultative resource for the care of adults with congenital heart disease. The WACH team is dedicated to adult congenital heart disease, allowing for continuity of care for adults with congenital heart disease – both survivors of early surgery and newly diagnosed adults. WACH strives to meet the unique needs of adult patients with congenital heart disease by providing all the necessary resources in one centralized location. The WACH team provides highly sophisticated, multidisciplinary care. The program is a collaboration of board-certified pediatric and adult cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and intensive-care experts, as well as a skilled support team, all of whom are specially trained in caring for the adult congenital heart disease patient. The team collaborates to follow patients with congenital heart defects from birth through adulthood. Physicians within this program are specially trained pediatric cardiologists who understand the complex issues that arise as survival rates improve for people whose hearts were repaired years ago. Dr. Kuehl has provided services for adults with congenital heart problems at Children’s since 1998. She partners with Dr. Ruiz, who is one of only a handful of cardiologists who has completed a two-year fellowship in the management of congenital heart defects in adult patients. Dr. Moulick, the WACH surgical director, has extensive, unique experience in both adult and pediatric congenital surgery. The program is the only one of its kind in the region and is staffed by full-time congenital heart cardiologists and surgeons to meet stringent requirements for multidisciplinary care. The partnership between Children’s and Washington Hospital Center continues an informal relationship developed several years ago by the hospitals, situated on adjoining campuses. By combining intellectual resources and technology from both institutions, such as the cardiac MRI and cardiac catheterization, doctors provide the most thorough evaluations and treatment for complex congenital heart patients. The team provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary program with seven clinic session per week. What Makes the WACH Program Unique The program addresses the challenges that congenital heart disease may present in adulthood. More than 90 percent of children who undergo surgery to correct congenital heart defects live to adulthood; however, nearly 50 percent of these survivors do not continue to seek regular cardiac care, thus decreasing their life expectancy. Guidelines suggest that half of these survivors should be followed in specialized centers for adults with congenital heart disease, such as the Washington Adult Congenital Heart Program. New research shows that adult survivors face an increased risk of cardiac conditions 20 years after corrective surgery. Patients with tetralogy of Fallot, aortic stenosis, coarctation, and transposition of the great arteries are at the highest risk. The original surgeries were the first of their kind, so no long-term history was known when they were performed. Some surgeries cause compensatory changes in the heart that create new problems over time. Back to Top