Paediatric Brain Injury Following Cardiac Interventions

Children born with congenital heart problems face numerous physical, developmental, and social challenges. Complications in pregnancy have potential to impair brain development, leading a smaller brain volume and less mature brain even in babies born at full term. As the brain is less mature, it may be more susceptible to oxygen deprivation and other forms of brain injury. Urgent surgery is often required in the first few weeks of life to improve functioning of the heart, but this surgery also carries a risk of additional brain injuries. The aim of this study is to provide a better understanding of factors associated with the development of brain injury in neonates undergoing heart surgery in the first year or life. The short-term aim of this study is to provide data to help our team to develop advanced monitoring software that can be used to guide perfusion of the brain during surgery with a view to preventing surgery-related brain injury. The mid-term goal of the study is to identify risk factors associated with brain injury and inflammation around the time of surgery, through using MRI and taking blood samples. A longer term aim of this study is to be able to follow the children as they develop to see if any problems develop later in life. In this study, we will ask parents to complete two brief questionnaires when their infant reaches 2 years of age. Overall, this study aims to improve our understanding of the causes of brain injury in patients born with congenital heart problems. The data provided by this study will help us to develop new tools for monitoring brain perfusion during surgery.