Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2020; 68(S 02): S79-S101
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1705567
Short Presentations
Monday, March 2nd, 2020
Intensive Care Medicine
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Education and School Performance of Children with Congenital Heart Disease

M. Blickle
1   Berlin, Germany
,
P. Helm
1   Berlin, Germany
,
H. Ferentzi
1   Berlin, Germany
,
F. Berger
1   Berlin, Germany
,
U. Bauer
1   Berlin, Germany
,
K. Schmitt
1   Berlin, Germany
,
C. Pfitzer
1   Berlin, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
13 February 2020 (online)

Objectives: We analyzed the upbringing and school careers of children and young adults diagnosed with a congenital heart disease (CHD) in Germany.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey. The recruitment of study participants was performed via the database of the German National Register for Congenital Heart Defects (NRCHD). Patients born between 1992 and 2011 were enrolled in the study. We compared our results to the general population with census data from the German Federal Statistics Office.

Result: A total of 3,605 persons participated in the survey and out of them, 2,901 (80.5%) completed the questionnaire. Detailed information regarding the underlying CHD diagnosis, as well as clinical data, from medical records was available for 2,609 (72.4%) study participants. The overwhelming majority of study participants were enrolled at a normal elementary school (83.4%). Patients were predominately enrolled at the age of 6 years or below (73.3%) which is similar to the general population (64.3%). Of them, 81.7% mild, 73.0% moderate, and 66.8% severe CHD patients were enrolled in school at the age of 6 years or younger. 45.7% of the graduated study participants had acquired the qualifications to study at university (Abitur). In comparison, 41% of students from the general population graduated with Abitur. School careers varied significantly between the different CHD severity subgroups. When analyzing all graduated participants 57.3% of mild, 47.5% of moderate, and 35.1% of severe CHD patients attained Abitur. CHD patients frequently suffered from psychological disorders (33.3%) and often had to repeat a school year (11.2%). The highest incidence of psychiatric disorders was reported in patients with severe CHD. These patients most oftenly had to repeat a school year.

Conclusion: In our study, the majority of participating CHD patients had a standard school career. These initial results are of great importance to affected families and treating physicians, as they can alleviate parents’ fears by showing that a normal school career is possible for patients diagnosed with a CHD. Nevertheless, school form and age at enrolment and the final school degree attained varied depending on the severity of the underlying CHD. Patients were more likely to be diagnosed with a psychological disorder and/or forced to repeat a class if their CHD was more severe. Therefore, better systems are required to identify at risk patients to enable early interventional therapy.