Central venous-to-arterial CO difference as a biomarker of outcome in children who underwent surgery for congenital heart disease.

Background: In congenital heart surgery, low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS) is a major cause of morbidity in the immediate post-operative period. A decrease in cardiac output leads to an increase in tissue oxygen consumption. Several biomarkers such as venous oxygen saturation (SvO), arteriovenous oxygen difference (DavO), and lactate can assess tissue perfusion in the presence of LCOS.