• Helene Werner, Beatrice Latal, Emanuela Valsangiacomo Buechel, Ingrid Beck, and Markus A Landolt.
• Department of Psychosomatics and Psychiatry, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
• J. Pediatr. 2014 Feb 1; 164 (2): 254-8.e1.

ObjectivesTo determine health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in 1-year-old infants with congenital heart disease (CHD), to follow-up with these children at age 4 years, and to examine predictors of HRQoL.Study DesignParents of 144 infants who had undergone cardiopulmonary bypass surgery for CHD before age 6 months were prospectively included in this cohort study. Parents completed a standardized questionnaire on child HRQoL at 1 year and 4 years of age; medical data were extracted from the patients' hospital records.ResultsParents reported a significant reduction of the children's physical functioning compared with healthy controls at age 1 year. At age 4 years, children with CHD had poorer cognitive functioning but better social functioning compared with healthy controls. Lower HRQoL at age 4 years was not significantly predicted by univentricular or biventricular CHD but was predicted by the presence of an underlying genetic defect, tube feeding at 1 year, and lower HRQoL at 1 year.ConclusionThis study shows that HRQoL of infants and preschool-age children with CHD is impaired in physical and cognitive dimensions. Children with lower overall HRQoL at age 1 year, an underlying genetic defect, and tube feeding need to be monitored carefully to provide appropriate and timely interventions.Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

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