Review: Cognitive and psychological outcomes in pediatric heart transplantation

Objective: To review empirical literature investigating the cognitive and p sychological effects of pediatric heart transplantation. Methods: Electronic and library searches were used to identify empirical st udies examining the cognitive and psychological effects of pediatric heart transplantation. Only studies investigating cognitive or psychological outc omes, either prospectively or cross-sectionally, were reviewed. Results: Preliminary findings suggest that children and adolescents general ly functioned within the normal range on most measures of cognitive functio ning post-transplant. However, a complicated transplant course caused by in fections or rejections may place these recipients at increased risk for cog nitive difficulties post-transplant. Studies also suggested that approximat ely 20%24% of pediatric heart transplant recipients experienced significant symptoms of psychological distress (e.g., anxiety, depression, behavior pr oblems) during the first year post-transplant. Conclusions: Research suggests that some recipients are at risk for cogniti ve and psychological difficulties post-transplant and may require additiona l academic remediation and/or psychological intervention to address these c hallenges. Given the limited number of empirical studies available at this time, continued research investigating cognitive and psychological outcomes following pediatric heart transplantation is needed.