Jane Newburger, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Harvard Medical Shool/Children's Hospital
Associate Cardiologist-in-Chief
Department of Cardiology

MRRC Project(s)

R01 HL63411-01

Clinical Trial of Hematocrit in Infant Heart Surgery

P50 HL74734

SCCOR in Pediatric Heart Development and Disease - from molecular mechanism to improved outcomes in TOF. Project 1: Neurological and Developmental Outcomes in TOF

Congenital heart lesions are among the most common birth defects. Indeed, children with structural heart disease now constitute the largest single patient population in many pediatric in-patient services. Of the 30,000 infants born annually with congenital heart disease, more than one-third will require cardiac surgery early in life. Recent dramatic reductions in surgical mortality have been accompanied by the recognition that the survivors frequently suffer adverse neurologic sequelae, including mental retardation, seizures, cerebral palsy, and lifelong language and learning disorders. The majority of such brain injury may be attributable to operative events, particularly the support techniques used to protect vital organs during cardiac repair. During the current MRRC grant period, we have conducted several randomized trials comparing the incidence of brain injury with various methods of use of extracorporeal support during infant heart surgery. We are also studying long-term neurologic and developmental outcomes in children with congenital heart disease.
I