As an adult with Ebstein’s anomaly, when will I need treatment?

As an adult with Ebstein’s anomaly, when will I need treatment?

Ebstein’s anomaly has the greatest variation in severity among all congenital heart defects. Some infants with the defect do not survive gestation, while other individuals live a normal life span and never need treatment.

As an adult with a mild Ebstein’s malformation, you may not need any treatment for years. If you have an arrhythmia, you may be treated with medication to control your heart rate and rhythm. Depending on the severity of the arrhythmia, you may need nonsurgical treatment such as radiofrequency ablation to fix your heart rhythm. If you develop heart failure, you may need other medications, such as a diuretic.

The course of Ebstein’s anomaly is unpredictable, however, and the condition could worsen to the point where your symptoms are bothersome, or your heart could enlarge, leading to decreased heart function. In either of these situations, surgical treatment may be necessary.