Parents' perceptions of genetics services for congenital heart disease: the role of demographic, clinical, and psychological factors in determining service attendance.

Purpose: We sought to identify the demographic, clinical, and psychological factors associated with parents' attendance at clinical genetics services for congenital heart disease.

Methods: A survey assessing access to cardiac genetics services and a range of other variables was sent to the families of 213 children diagnosed with congenital heart disease between the years 2000 and 2009 at the Sydney Children's Hospital, Australia.

Results: Of the 114 respondents, 22% had accessed cardiac genetics services.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome in context.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a rare condition requiring major cardiac surgery during the neonatal period to sustain life, with subsequent procedures culminating in completion of the Fontan circulation - the common pathway for all 'single ventricle' conditions. Algorithms for care of these children are now well defined with predictable medium-term outcomes with the majority achieving a Fontan circulation. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is one of a group of conditions that require complex surgery as a neonate and require a similar perioperative approach.

Successful early surgical recruitment of the congenitally disconnected pulmonary artery.

Background: Our purpose was to document our experience with early recruitment of congenitally disconnected pulmonary arteries and to assess subsequent pulmonary artery growth and function.

Methods: Patients born in the 10-year period from 1989 to 1999 with a disconnected pulmonary artery diagnosed in infancy and treated in our unit were studied. To be included patients had nonconfluent pulmonary arteries with one or both completely disconnected from the main pulmonary artery.