Aortic coarctation repair-lost and found: The role of local long term specialised care

This study demonstrates that many patients with previous repair of aortic coarctation have not received optimal long term care. Many had been lost to regular cardiology follow up and, even amongst those who had been seen in cardiology clinics, there was a high frequency of poorly treated or unsuspected complications. The provision of local expert care from a cardiologist specialising in congenital heart disease allows earlier and more aggressive treatment of complications and may also improve compliance. Where a localised specialist is not available, general cardiologists need to work to protocol-driven care pathways with easy access to specialist support.