LAUSR

Congenital heart disease (CHD) severe enough to require corrective surgery in the first weeks – months of life occurs in nearly 1% of all live births in the United States, or approximately 40,000 infants yearly [1, 2]. Remarkable advances in perioperative and operative care have led to rates of survival to adulthood of nearly 90%. However, this increased survival rate has been accompanied by a large burden of neurodevelopmental deficits. Although neurological outcome varies according to types of CHD, for the focus of this Commentary, such severe forms as single ventricle defects (hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS)) or transposition of the great arteries (TGA), cognitive scores are in the mid-80’s to low average range and markedly impair school performance and quality of life [2, 3]. Additionally, later behavioral disturbances are very common, and impaired executive functions exacerbate overall deficient cognitive/adaptive abilities [4].