Advances in congenital heart surgery have resulted in the increased survival 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 vast 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 population appears to be multifactorial with preoperative, operative, and postoperative factors all contributing to outcome. Continued research and attempts to minimize neurologic injury and associated sequelae are of primary importance. Recent data suggest that advances in care already may be improving outcome after congenital heart surgery. Ongoing documentation of the long-term outcome in this population needs to be mandated, as does the implementation of environmental enrichment programs to help ameliorate the long-term consequences of congenital heart disease.
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