Impact of Surgical Timing on the Neurodevelopmental Prognosis of Newborns With Complex Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease is the most frequent congenital malformation and concerns 9 newborns per 1000 live births, i.e. nearly 1% of births. Half of these children present a complex form of congenital heart disease requiring surgery during the first months of life. More than one child in two will present a neurodevelopmental disorder resulting from brain damage beginning in utero and continuing in the post-natal period. In the newborn with complex congenital heart disease (CCHD), cerebral immaturity is synonymous with vulnerability, leading in half of the cases to the perioperative occurrence of hypoxic-ischemic cerebral lesions, most of which affect the white matter. These white matter injuries (WMI) are a prognostic factor for motor, cognitive, language and behavioural disorders that induce psycho-social difficulties in adulthood, altering the quality of life of patients. In newborns with CCHD (Transposition of Great Arteries or Left Ventricular Hypoplasia) operated on later in the neonatal period, both the incidence of perioperative BSL and post-operative morbidity are increased.

Earlier surgery may therefore be a neuroprotective strategy leading to a reduction in perioperative WMI, postoperative morbidity and a better neurodevelopmental prognosis in infants with CCHD.

The investigators propose a prospective observational study whose main objective will be to determine whether there is an association between age at surgery (days of life) and neurodevelopmental outcome in patients with CCHD. Secondly, the investigators planned to study the relationship between age at surgery and (i) the incidence of WMI observed on pre- and post-operative cerebral MRI (ii) post-operative morbidity as defined by the occurrence of post-operative complications (haemodynamic, infectious, neurological, surgical) and (iii) the length of hospital stay.

Recruitment will be performed in a prospective cohort (n=50) of neonates with CCHD requiring surgery during the first 2 months of life and benefiting from pre- and post-operative cerebral MRI, standardized neurological examinations at 4, 12, 24 months and neuropsychological evaluation with a Bayley III test at 24 months.