Fifteen years ago, the ACC established the Adult Congenital and Pediatric Cardiology (ACPC) Section with the mandate to engage like-minded practitioners who care for individuals with congenital heart disease (CHD), from fetal life to adulthood, and pediatric patients with acquired heart disease. From its inception, under the successive leadership of Drs. David Sahn, Gerard Martin, Kathy Jenkins, Robert Beekman, and now, Tim Feltes, the ACPC's efforts have been focused on improving care and outcomes for patients with CHD through quality improvement activities, enhancement of clinical practice, education, communication and advocacy. In 2015, on its 10th year, the Section acquired a virtual home within the auspices of ACC.org,  and the Congenital Heart Disease and Pediatric Cardiology Clinical Topic Collection was born. We are five years old this year! As the professional home for this niche cardiovascular team, we strive to provide a thoughtfully curated, relevant collection for your clinical practice.

One of our most popular clinical content items for 2019 was an expert opinion piece on the assessment of coronary abnormalities in children. We also featured a case question series regarding an unusual presentation of such an abnormality in an older infant. Acquired atherosclerotic coronary pathology begins in childhood, and our collection has featured educational pieces on this as well. Anticipating complications to prevent or retard progression of disease is always preferable to intervention.

Addressing malnutrition in infants and children requiring multiple interventions and complex care for congenital heart disease is important for successful outcomes. As congenital cardiologists, we are always looking for novel ways to improve outcomes, especially in those who had undergone single ventricle palliation.

Unfortunately, end stage complications may be inevitable and we as a team must be skilled in their diagnosis. Despite best efforts, transplantation at times then becomes the only option.

One of the primary goals for this site is to reduce members' burdens by providing practical tools to navigate the myriad demands on our time. In 2020, we will strive to continue to bring you up-to-date information relevant to our field. New for this year will be the pilot Question of the Month initiative, led by Dr. Frank Ing and his team of experts representing the various subspecialties in our field, to enable ACC members to earn MOC credit from the American Board of Pediatrics. Please be on the lookout for these new and exciting things to come.

We are happy and proud that many have volunteered content for publishing on our website. Please contact Christi Plaster at cplaster@acc.org to propose topics for discussion or submit interesting cases for digital publication.

We are honored to be the digital home for the ACPC section. On behalf of Tim Feltes, MD, FACC, Chair of the ACPC Council, and Ami B. Bhatt, MD, FACC and Robert "Jake" D.B. Jaquiss, MD, FACC, Associate Editorial Team Leads of the Congenital Heart Disease and Pediatric Cardiology Clinical Topic Collection, we wish you a Happy New Year!

Clinical Topics: Congenital Heart Disease and Pediatric Cardiology, Congenital Heart Disease, CHD and Pediatrics and Quality Improvement

Keywords: Heart Defects, Congenital, Pediatrics, Publishing, Quality Improvement, Leadership, Expert Testimony

< Back to Listings