Temporal change in the age at time of death in adults with congenital heart disease

Abstract

Background

Among patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), life expectancy vary by CHD diagnosis, age of the population, and study era, making it difficult to make comparisons between studies. In this study, we aimed to address the knowledge gap regarding temporal change in age at the time of death over time across all CHD diagnoses using a large cohort of adults with CHD with longitudinal follow-up.

Methods

We studied adults with CHD that received care at Mayo Clinic from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2023.

Results

We identified 9144 adults with CHD that received care within the study period. Of 9144 patients, 1046 (11 %) died, yielding incidence of death of 8.7 per 1000 patient-years. The incidence of death differed by CHD severity groups (7.1 versus 10.3 versus 19.3 per 1000 patient-years, p < 0.001, for simple versus moderate versus complex CHD, respectively). Similarly, the age at the time of death differed by CHD severity groups (66 ± 17 versus 57 ± 16 versus 43 ± 19 years, p < 0.001, for simple versus moderate versus complex CHD, respectively). The age at the time of death was significantly higher in the late era compared to the early era (58 ± 18 versus 50 ± 17 years p < 0.001), and this difference was consistent across CHD severity groups.

Conclusions

There was a temporal increase in the age at the time of death in adults with CHD, and this was consistent across CHD severity groups. The older age at the time of death suggests improved longevity in this population.