Relationship between age at repair surgery and growth and development of children with acyanotic congenital heart disease: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: The survival of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) has increased drastically in the last few decades. However, in children with the acyanotic type of CHD, it is often accompanied by symptoms of failure to thrive. This study aims to assess the correlation between age at repair surgery and the growth and development of children with acyanotic CHD. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on eligible patients with acyanotic CHD who had undergone heart repair procedures. Age was taken when the patient was preoperatively repaired and categorized based on the age range of 3 months to 5 years. According to the WHO curve (weight/height), growth is assessed from nutritional status. Development was assessed from the category of height (cm) after surgery. Differences in growth and development before and after repair surgery were tested using the Wilcoxon method. Results: Of the 40 samples analyzed, there were 20 males and 20 females, the majority aged 3-4 years (25%) followed by ages 2-3 years (10%). There was an effect of repair surgery on growth when surgery was performed at 2 to 3 years with a p-value of 0.016 (<0.05). In the development category, there was no effect of surgery on development in all age categories, with a p-value of 0.424 (>0.05). Conclusion: Surgery at an early age has better growth outcomes, especially at 2-3 years, but is unrelated to developmental aspects.