Pathophysiology of Congenital Heart Disease: Emerging Concepts and Mechanisms

A special issue of Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease (ISSN 2308-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Disease".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 June 2026 | Viewed by 36

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common form of birth defect worldwide and contributes to significant morbidity and mortality in both pediatric and adult patients.

Advances in clinical care, including surgical and interventional therapies, have dramatically improved survival, resulting in a rapidly growing population of adults living with CHD. This demographic shift has highlighted that CHD is a condition characterized by a complex, continuously evolving pathophysiology.

Recent research has revealed that abnormal flow dynamics, chronic pressure and volume overload, and maladaptive myocardial structural, electrical, and contractile remodeling contribute to progressive dysfunction well beyond surgical incisions and prosthetic materials. Atrial and ventricular electrical remodeling in CHD patients creates a unique substrate for atrial and ventricular tachyarrhythmias, which emerge earlier and more frequently and progress more rapidly than in the general population. Novel diagnostic and therapeutic tools, including, e.g., imaging and omics technologies and interventional procedures such as advanced electrophysiological mapping approaches, provide unprecedented insights into CHD-related pathophysiology. These findings underscore the need for a paradigm shift from purely anatomical correction to mechanism-based, individualized care, thereby improving clinical care in this growing patient population.

Prof. Dr. Natasja de Groot
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • congenital heart disease
  • pathophysiology
  • remodeling
  • mechanisms
  • personalized care

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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