Background: Children with congenital heart defects (CHD) now live longer due to advances in surgical and catheter techniques. Their neurodevelopment, including intellectual functioning, has become a major area of concern, attracting both clinical and research interest.
Objectives: To assess the cognitive functions in children with CHD after cardiac surgeries and to compare between cyanotic and acyanotic heart disease regarding cognitive functions.
Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study included sixty patients with CHD, 30 patients with cyanotic heart disease and 30 patients with acyanotic heart disease, who underwent cardiac surgeries and were examined by Stanford Binet IQ test 5th edition. They were recruited from the post cardiac intervention clinic at Pediatric Hospitals of Cairo University.
Results: The mean ± SD age of the children with cyanotic and acyanotic heart diseases was 5±2 and 4 ±1 years respectively (p= 0.345). The IQ was higher among the children with cyanotic compared to those acyanotic heart diseases with mean ± SD (range) of 85.4 ± 12 and 99.9 ± 13 respectively (p= 0.0001). IQ was not influenced by age at operation (p= 0. 171), type of operation (p= 0. 381), sex (p= 0.323), or oxygen saturation (p= 0.308). Mean ±SD IQ of those with cyanotic CHD who underwent closed and open heart surgeries was 88±11 and 84±13 respectively (p= 0.381), and in acyanotic group was 104±14 and 98±13 respectively (p= 0.323).
Conclusion:  Children with congenital heart defects may have cognitive dysfunction. Children with cyanotic CHD have significantly lower IQ values than those with acyanotic CHD. No significant differences in IQ were found between patients who underwent closed and open heart surgery.