Neuropsychomotor development of children with congenital heart diseases

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: It is speculated that congenital heart disease (CHD) can affect neuropsychomotor development. However, studies are still needed to evaluate this development in CC. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the neuropsychomotor development of children with congenital heart defects. METHODS: A cross - sectional, observational study was conducted at the Heart Hospital of Alagoas (Maceió - AL, Brazil) from June to October 2016. Children hospitalized for elective surgeries were included in this hospital, aged 1 and 72 months, and those with any signs of discomfort (dyspnoea, tachycardia, cyanosis, nose wing beat and use of accessory muscles) were excluded, low ability to respond to verbal commands and / or associated diseases / syndromes leading to delay in neuropsychomotor development. Neuropsychomotor development (NPMD) was assessed using the Denver II developmental screening test, applied at pre-surgical time. RESULTS: Twenty children, aged between 1-72 months, of whom 05 were excluded were evaluated. The remaining 15 had a mean age of 16.12 (± 15.56) months, 7 boys (46.66%) and 8 girls (53.33%). Eighty percent had a delay in neuropsychomotor development, and the fine-adaptive motor domain was the most compromised, in which the children performed only 48% of the tasks proposed. Most of the children with the delay had patent ductus arteriosus (41.66%), followed by atrial septal defect (16,66) and coexistence of ASD and ventricular septal defect (16,66). CONCLUSION: It is concluded that children with CHD present NPMD not compatible with their age. Evidencing the need for diagnosis and early stimulation of the same.