Recommendations for starting a grown up congenital heart disease (GUCH) unit

During the last decades, advances in diagnosis and treatment of congenital heartdisease have allowed many individuals to reach adulthood. Due mainly to the greatdiagnostic diversity and to the co-morbidities usually present in this age group,these patients demand assistance in a multidisciplinary facility if an adequateattention is aimed. In this paper we reviewed, based in the international literatureand also on the authors’ experience, the structural conditions that should beavailable for these patients. We highlighted aspects like the facilitycharacteristics, the criteria usually adopted for patient transfer from thepaediatric setting, the composition of the medical and para- medical staff takinginto account the specific problems, and also the model of outpatient and in-hospitalassistance. We also emphasized the importance of patient data storage, thefundamental necessity of institutional support and also the compromise to offerprofessional training. The crucial relevance of clinical research is also approached,particularly the development of multicenter studies as an appropriate methodology forthis heterogeneous patient population.