Long-Term Results of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in Finland: Education, Employment, Marital Status, and Parenthood


* Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Children and Adolescents, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Department of Pediatrics, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland
Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
|| Department of Pediatrics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
Objective. This population-based study was designed to examine the psychosocial outcome of Finnish patients who had been operated on for congenital heart disease during childhood.
Methods. A questionnaire was mailed to 3789 adult patients who had been operated on for congenital heart defects in Finland. Of these, 2896 (76%) answered the questionnaire. The mean age of patients was 33 years (range: 1859 years), and they had had their first operation 9 to 46 years earlier.
Results. The patients had coped well with their defects when compared with the general Finnish population. The educational level of patients was comparable to and employment level was higher than expected (70% vs 66%, respectively). They were living in a steady relationship as often as the general population, but the number of parents among the patients was lower than that expected (47% vs 49%, respectively). The incidence of congenital heart disease among the 2697 children of the patients was 2.4%.
Conclusion. Our results confirm that in addition to high survival rate, the long-term psychosocial outcome of patients with surgically treated congenital heart defects is good if they do not have any additional syndromes that cause mental retardation.
Key Words: heart defects congenital population education employment marital status
Abbreviations: NYHA, New York Heart Association PDA, patent ductus arteriosus CoA, coarctation of the aorta ASD, atrial septal defect TOF, tetralogy of Fallot TGA, transposition of the great arteries PS, pulmonary stenosis AS, valvular aortic stenosis UVH, univentricular heart CHD, congenital heart disease
Received for publication Sep 23, 2002; Accepted Mar 6, 2003.
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