Ex situ heart perfusion for optimization of pediatric donor organ utilization: Attitudes and perceptions.

Background: Children with heart failure have the highest mortality while awaiting transplantation. Ex situ heart perfusion (ESHP), a method for continuous perfusion of the donor heart, has the potential to improve access to transplant by increasing travel distance between donor and recipient. An adult ESHP device is currently available, but as of yet there is no pediatric device.

Early repair of congenital heart disease associated with increased rate of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms.

Background: As more children survive with congenital heart disease, their neurodevelopmental outcomes (including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) are becoming increasingly important. The objective of our study was to determine if school-aged children who underwent early cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease are more likely than healthy control subjects to have screening scores on the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham IV (SNAP-IV) questionnaire suggestive of ADHD.

Methods: Children aged 7-15 years who underwent open-heart surgery before 1 year of age were identified from the Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Children's Heart Centre Database.