Waiting for repair: Neonatal risk for brain injury during the preoperative period

During the 1970s, the initial push to move from staged palliative surgery to early neonatal correction was driven by several factors, including avoidance of the complications and mortality associated with the palliative procedure, minimization of the stress on a patient's family, and reversal of the failure to thrive associated with the interstage period.1 Since that time, single-stage operative repair of complex congenital heart defects has become standard at most institutions. However, the optimal timing of procedures within the neonatal period —especially in lesions resulting in hypoxia before surgical repair—remains uncertain.
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Tags: Editorial Commentary Source Type: research