Acute and Persistent Postoperative Functional Decline in Children with Severe Neurological Impairment: A Qualitative, Exploratory Study.

Background: Children with severe neurologic impairment (SNI) regularly require major surgery to manage their underlying conditions. Anecdotal evidence suggests that children with SNI experience unexpected and persistent postoperative functional changes long after the postoperative recovery period; however, evidence from the perspective of caregivers is limited. The purpose of the study was to explore the functional postoperative recovery process for children with SNI.