Congenital Heart Disease and Neonatal Brain Injury

The management of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) has advanced over the past four decades and a high rate of survival is expected for even the most complex of heart lesions. As mortality rates have decreased, the field’s attention has broadened its focus to include long-term outcomes and quality of life with an emphasis on the neurocognitive domain. Recent investigations demonstrate a predisposition to injury that begins earlier than previously recognized, including the prenatal period. This chapter focuses on the aspects of neurologic injury in patients with congenital heart disease, including predisposing factors, monitoring technologies, and interventions at critical stages beginning in the womb, through surgery and during the critical postoperative period.