The Rady Children's/University of California, San Diego Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, under the leadership of James Perry, M.D., provides state-of-the-art care to patients age 18 and older with congenital heart disease.
Due to dramatic advances in surgery and catheter interventions, there are more adults than children with congenital heart disease. Our program is able to provide the highly specialized care – and expertise – these patients require. Currently, we care for a large number of adult congenital heart disease patients living in the Southern California region.
Outpatient care
A specialized outpatient clinic provides patient/family education and help with managing congenital heart disease throughout the patient's lifetime.
Surgery and other procedures
Surgeries and interventional procedures performed here address all adult congenital heart disease-related medical issues. Rady Children's was among the first pediatric hospitals in the country to specialize in Fontan-revision surgeries, and among the first to begin large-scale use of the transcatheter implantable pulmonary valve for specific congenital heart disease issues.
Research
Dr. Perry and team are involved in both clinical research studies and advocacy programs for adults with congenital heart disease; Dr. Perry is an active member on the medical advisory board of the Adult Congenital Heart Association. Several innovative basic science research projects, in partnership with the UC San Diego Department of Bioengineering, are underway that directly apply to adult congenital heart disease.
Second opinions
The Adult Congenital Heart Disease team frequently provides second opinions for patients and families who travel to San Diego from outside the region. If you are one of these patients, you will have all of your questions answered during your visit and your care options fully explained. If you would like a second opinion from us, please call the phone number below and arrange for your physician to send us current information, including any prior surgical or catheter interventions, well ahead of your visit so these can be reviewed.