Each patient’s treatment plan is based on the severity of the congenital heart disease. Some mild heart defects do not require any treatment. Others can be treated with medications, invasive procedures or surgery. Most adults with congenital heart disease should be monitored by a heart specialist and take precautions to prevent endocarditis (an infection of the heart) throughout their life.
To protect yourself against developing endocarditis, follow the following steps:
- Inform all doctors and dentists that you have congenital heart disease. You may want to carry a card with you that contains this information.
- Call your doctor if you have symptoms of an infection (sore throat, general body achiness, fever). Colds and flus do not cause endocarditis. But infections, which may have the same symptoms, do. So, to be safe, call your doctor.
- Take good care of your teeth and gums to prevent infections. See your dentist for regular visits.
- Take antibiotics according to the American Heart Association guidelines before you undergo any procedure that may cause bleeding:
- Any dental work (even a basic teeth cleaning)
- Invasive tests
- Most major or minor surgery
- Check with your doctor about the type and amount of antibiotics that you should take