Brain Injury and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

An estimated 30,000 children are born in the USA with congenital heart disease each year, two thirds of which will require corrective surgery. Medical advances have formed a trend of operating on newborns rather than waiting until the child is older. Ten years ago, the mortality for these operationswas 60% to 70%. That percentage has dropped to 2%. This specialized book explores the basic mechanisms of neurologic injury associated with congenital heart surgery while covering the emerging technologies for assessment of neurologic integrity and injury. The text also highlights the current and future techniques for reducing and preventing these injuries, and reviews the pertinent medicolegal issues.

William E. Ladd Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School; Cardiovascular Surgeon in Chief, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Children's Hospital, Boston, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Senior Associate in Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital, Boston, Bronson Crothers Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Neurologist-in-Chief, Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital, Boston