Perioperative Tools to Predict Neurocognitive Outcome in Congenital Heart Surgery

As long-term outcomes of congenital heart operations continue to improve, attention has turned toward neurocognitive development. As such, there is a need for clinical tools to predict neurologic outcomes in mid- and long-term follow-ups. In this article, the authors present an interesting study of 76 patients who had continuous EEG monitoring throughout this study. Researchers were able to identify key phenotypic patterns associated with cognitive, gross motor, and fine motor scores over a median one-year follow-up. Continuous EEG monitoring may prove to be a useful tool in the treatment team’s armamentarium to prognosticate infants and children undergoing congenital heart surgery from a neurologic standpoint.