Congenital Heart Disease are among the most common birth anomalies, ranging from simple lesions requiring limited follow-up to complex conditions needing lifelong specialised care. This session on Congenital Heart Disease brings together advances in diagnosis, intervention, and long-term management with a strong focus on coordinated, family-centred care. Participants will explore how improvements in fetal and neonatal detection, surgical techniques, catheter-based interventions, and intensive care have transformed survival and quality of life for many children born with heart defects.

Clinicians increasingly attend Pediatrics Conference to stay current with evolving guidelines, imaging modalities, and transition-of-care models. In this session, attendees will review approaches to early identification through pulse oximetry screening, fetal echocardiography, and targeted assessments in high-risk infants. The content will highlight decision-making around timing of surgery or intervention, perioperative management, and the role of multidisciplinary teams including cardiologists, intensivists, anesthetists, nurses, and allied health professionals. Special attention is given to neurodevelopment, feeding, and growth in infants with complex cardiac conditions.

The session also underscores the importance of structured pediatric cardiac care pathways that extend beyond the operating room. Participants will discuss models for long-term follow-up, including surveillance for arrhythmias, heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and late complications. Transition planning from pediatric to adult congenital heart disease services is explored as a critical period requiring careful preparation and adolescent engagement. Case examples will illustrate how psychological support, school reintegration, and family counselling can reduce anxiety, improve adherence, and support participation in age-appropriate activities.

Equity, ethics, and global perspectives are woven throughout the session. Attendees will consider challenges in low-resource settings, including limited access to diagnostics and surgery, and explore strategies for partnership, training, and telemedicine. The session also touches on prenatal counselling, shared decision-making in high-risk scenarios, and communication about prognosis and uncertainty. By the end, participants will have a richer understanding of how to deliver compassionate, evidence-based care across the lifespan for children and adolescents living with congenital heart disease.