Neuropsychological outcome of infant heart transplant recipients

Abstract

To assess long-term neuropsychological outcomes of infant heart transplant recipients. Fifty-five children (mean age, 6.4 years) with a primary diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome or other cardiac disorders participated in the study. Six areas of risk were assessed (birth; preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative status; long-term medical complications; and socioeconomic factors). Neuropsychological evaluations included the following: Wechsler Scales of Intelligence, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Berry Visual Motor Integration Scale, Comprehensive Evaluation of Language Function, and Achenbach Child Behavioral Checklist. Intellectual functioning scores revealed a mean full-scale IQ of 81 +/- 19. Intraoperative and postoperative variables (bypass time, hospital course, and lowest posttransplant pH), long-term medical complications (serious infections and posttransplant surgical procedures), and socioeconomic factors were associated with cognitive functioning. Visual-motor functioning was also related to bypass and total support time. Long-term outcomes reveal low-average neuropsychological functioning and are related to intrasurgical-postsurgical, long-term medical, and socioeconomic factors. The neuropsychological and psychosocial functioning of infant heart transplant recipients will be important to address as they mature during adolescence and adulthood.