How should I approach the follow-up care of a patient post-repair of coarctation of the aorta to monitor for complications?

Follow-up care after surgical repair of coarctation of the aorta should focus on regular clinical assessment and imaging surveillance to monitor for potential complications such as restenosis, aneurysm formation, or hypertension.

Patients require lifelong follow-up with a specialist cardiologist or a multidisciplinary team experienced in congenital heart disease to detect late complications early.

Imaging modalities such as echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computed tomography (CT) angiography should be used periodically to assess the repair site and the aorta for any structural abnormalities or aneurysmal changes.

Blood pressure monitoring is essential because hypertension is a common long-term complication even after successful repair.

Any new symptoms such as chest pain, leg claudication, or signs of heart failure should prompt urgent reassessment.

Coordination with primary care is important to ensure adherence to surveillance schedules and management of cardiovascular risk factors.

While the provided guideline context focuses on abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, principles of post-surgical surveillance including regular imaging and clinical monitoring to detect complications early are applicable to coarctation repair follow-up.