This week we delve into the world of neonatal congenital heart surgery and review a recent work on changes in the incidence of brain injury following congenital heart surgery. How common is it to see brain injury on the MRI's in this patient group? How have incidences changed over time and what is the likely reason for this? Can the types of inotropic agents used in the postoperative period potentially explain some of the improvements in outcomes that have been observed and what is the proposed mechanism for this? We speak with this week's first author, noted authority on neurodevelopmental outcomes of patients undergoing neontal heart surgery, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UCSF, Dr. Shab Peyvandi.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2022.10.029
Editorial accompanying this week's work: DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2022.11.027