Congenital Heart Disease - The Nursing Care Handbook

This book provides the theoretical and practical basis of technical nursing in congenital heart disease; it is intended for nurses and nursing students, and for anyone involved in the treatment of these patients. The improvements in diagnosis and management of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) are due to the recent advances in cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology and have meant that an increasing number of infants are reaching adolescence and adulthood.  This manual is a practical and easy-to-use guide, which promotes effective cooperation between health professionals. 

Congenital heart disease is a disorder that is present at birth, and studies show that the incidence is around eight cases per thousand live births. The heart is formed during the first four - ten weeks of gestation, and alterations to this process can affect normal development, leading to heart defects. There are various types of heart defects: abnormalities that affect a single part of the heart (for example a valve) but also, highly complex abnormalities where there is severe damage to the cardiac architecture. The seriousness of the disease and the effects on child health vary: some forms have no real impact on child health and allow a normal life, while others are incompatible with life.

Serena Francesca Flocco, RN, MsN(s) Coordinator Nurse of Congenital Pediatric and Adult Heart Outpatient Clinic, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Milan, Italy. Adjunct professor of Nursing at University of Milan and Supervisor of Nursing Undergraduate programs at University of Milan. She leads Nursing Scientific Projects 'AICCA Onlus' (Associazione italiana dei Cardiopatici Congeniti Adulti. She is an Affiliate member of the Italian Society of Pediatric Cardiology.
Angelo Lillo, RN Mentor on student nurses in Level I II° center of Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Policlinico S.Orsola-Malpighi, Unit of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery Research EBN: currently involved in the research of the management of central venous catheters. Manager of Staff Training, Manager of Biomedical equipment. National Coordinator of Affiliates members of the Italian Society of Pediatric Cardiology.

Federica Dellafiore, RN, MSN, PhD(c) Doctoral student at University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italy). Research nurse at the Health Professions Research and Development Unit, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Italy. Adjunct professor of Nursing at University of Milan, Thesis supervisor at University of Milan, Supervisor of Nursing Undergraduate programs at University of Milan, Affiliate member of the Italian Society of Pediatric Cardiology.

Eva Goossens, PhD, RN is a Post-doctoral fellow at the Academic Center for Nursing and Midwifery (KU Leuven) and the Research Foundation Flanders, FWO Brussels Belgium, chair of Belgian Working Group on Cardiovascular Nursing (BWGCVN) and Science Committee Member of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (CCNAP).