Management of Neurological Problems in Neonates with CHD and Protocols for Neurodevelopmental Outcome Monitoring

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common type of birth defects, where acute and chronic neurologic complications are not uncommon in children born with CHD which include stroke, seizures, epilepsy, hemorrhage, and infections. Further, structural brain abnormalities are more common in children with CHD than general population; in fact, it was recognized in recent years in multiple studies with advanced neuroimaging tools that more than half of newborns with CHD have clinical evidence of neurological abnormalities prior to surgery and that these abnormalities are a major risk factor for later neurodevelopmental impairment.