Access to emergency surgical treatment for congenital heart diseases in the state of São Paulo.

Objective: To analyze access to surgical care for congenital heart diseases in public specialized centers in the state of São Paulo before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and availability of surgical care in specialized hospitals, to identify bottlenecks in the care path for neonatal cardiac surgery.

Methods: This study included 1,437 children, under one year old, with congenital heart disease and formal referral to heart surgery between February 1, 2019, and February 28, 2021. Quantitative data analysis was performed using t-tests or the Mann-Whitney test.