Providence Heart Institute
Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic
16001 W. Nine Mile Road
Southfield, MI 48075
248-849-2000

About congenital heart defects

There are many types of congenital heart defects. They include:

• Abnormal passages in the heart or between blood vessels
• Problems with the heart valves
• Problems with the placement or development of blood vessels near the heart
• Problems with development of the heart itself

Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole in the wall that separates the upper chambers of the heart. This causes blood to leak from one atrium to the other.

Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a hole in the wall that separates the lower chambers of the heart. This causes blood to leak from one ventricle to the other.

Atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) includes an ASD, VSD, and abnormal development of the atrioventricular valves (tricuspid (tri-CUSS-pid) and mitral (MI-trul)). This causes blood to flow abnormally inside the heart. An AVSD is also known as an atrioventricular canal defect.

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a persistent connection between the aorta and the pulmonary (PULL-mun-ary) artery. This connection is called the ductus arteriosus and is normally present before birth. In most babies, the vessel closes within a few hours or days after birth. In some children, the vessel fails to close, resulting in PDA.

Who can benefit from Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic

Patients over the age of 18 who have a repaired or unrepaired congenital heart defect can
receive treatment and ongoing medical management including:
• Adults born with a congenital heart defects
• Adults who have had surgery to treat congenital heart defect
• Adults who require follow up treatment for congenital heart disease including invasive
procedures like PDA closure and ASD closure

Our staff

Thomas Forbes, MD, is the physician specialist at the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic. Dr. Forbes trained as a pediatric resident at Creighton/University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska and performed his Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. He also completed an Interventional Catheterization Fellowship at Northwestern University Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.

Currently, Dr. Forbes is an Associate Professor in Pediatrics at Wayne State University in Detroit. He is board certified in Pediatric Cardiology and is a Fellow in the American College of Cardiology (ACC) as well as a board member of the Michigan ACC. Dr. Forbes has been involved in numerous research studies related to cardiac intervention for the treatment of congenital heart disease.

To schedule an appointment

To make an appointment or for more information, call 248-849-2000. No referral is necessary. If you have a referring physician, the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic physician will work with your doctor to coordinate your care.