Motor Development of Children That Have Surgery as Newborns for Complex Congenital Heart Disease

Infants requiring surgery in the neonatal period for complex congenital heart diseases are at risk for developmental problems. For infants with congenital heart diseases with admixture physiology and single ventricles, optimal circulation is associated with signs of adequate systemic perfusion and a systemic arterial oxygen saturation typically between 75% to 90%. Infants are often unable to withstand standardized developmental testing during early infancy due to medical fragility and sternal precautions after surgery. Evaluation of the quality of spontaneous movements and movement variability is a good alternative. The quality of general movements in early infancy is a valid predictor of neurological disorders in high risk infant groups and is assessed with short periods of video-recorded observations. This methodology has yet to be studied in infants with complex congenital heart disease that require surgery as neonates. For older infants, the Infant Motor Profile (IMP) is a promising tool to document developmental outcome.