Neurologic and cognitive outcomes in children with congenital heart disease

Advances in congenital heart surgery have resulted in. the increased surviv al of infants born with complex congenital heart disease. Questions remain, however, about how these patients will develop and whether they will have normal, productive lives. To date,,studies have shown that although the vas t majority of children with congenital heart disease have normal outcomes, as a group they generally have higher rates of neurodevelopmental problems. The developmental sequelae include mild problems in cognition, attention, and neuromotor functioning. The etiology of neurologic deficits in this pop ulation appears to be multifactorial with preoperative, operative, and post operative factors all contributing to outcome. Continued research and attem pts to minimize neurologic injury and associated sequelae are. of primary i mportance. Recent data suggest that advances in care already may be improvi ng, outcome after congenital heart surgery. Ongoing documentation of the lo ng-term outcome in this population needs to be mandated, as does the implem entation of environmental enrichment programs to help ameliorate the long-t erm consequences of congenital heart disease. Curr Opin. Pediatr 2001, 13:4 82-486 (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.