Cardiac intensive care for the neonate and child after cardiac surgery.
OBJECTIVE
The focus of postoperative care in the pediatric patient with congenital heart disease has become a reduction in length of stay and morbidity. This review will discuss strategies to achieve this goal and recent studies to support current practices.


RESULTS
Most agree that prolongation of the length of stay following a cardiac surgery contributes to morbidity. Postoperative feeding difficulty, hyperglycemia, acute kidney injury, fluid overload, and prolonged intubation contribute significantly to length of stay.


CONCLUSIONS
Postoperative care of the neonate and child following a cardiac surgery remains challenging with limited data to drive our practices. Patients remain at risk for significant morbidity, and future studies should focus on recognizing predictors of morbidity, prevention, and treatment.
The Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Holly C
HC
DeSena
David P
DP
Nelson
David S
DS
Cooper
D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000639:trends*; D008297:Male; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome