Perioperative cerebral and somatic oxygenation in neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome or transposition of the great arteries.

Objective: Significant depression in cerebral oxygen saturation has been observed in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) undergoing Norwood operations. We monitored cerebral oxygen saturation with near-infrared spectroscopy before and after this procedure. Patients with transposition of great arteries (TGA) before and after arterial switch operation were also studied to elucidate whether post-cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) changes in cerebral oxygen saturation are related to CPB or hemodynamic alterations inherent in single-ventricle physiology.