Motor development in infants with complex congenital heart disease: A longitudinal study

Authors

Darlene Huisenga, Advocate Aurora HealthFollow
Sacha la Gemert, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Epidemiology, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Andrew H. Van Bergen, Advocate Aurora HealthFollow
Jane K. Sweeney, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Provo, Utah, USA.
Mijna Hadders-Algra, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Paediatrics, Division of Developmental Neurology, Groningen, the Netherlands.

Recommended Citation

Huisenga D, la Bastide-van Gemert S, Van Bergen AH, Sweeney JK, Hadders-Algra M. Motor development in infants with complex congenital heart disease: A longitudinal study. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2023;65(1):117-125. doi:10.1111/dmcn.15287

Affiliations

Advocate Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation and Development, Advocate Children's Heart Institute, Division of Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate whether infants with complex congenital heart disease (CCHD) have an increased risk of impaired quality of motor behavior and delayed motor milestones.

Method: A cohort of 69 infants with CCHD (43 males, 26 females) were assessed with the Infant Motor Profile (IMP) at three time periods between 6 to 18 months, mean ages in months (SD): 6.4 (0.7); 12.7 (1.0); 18.5 (0.7) IMP data were available from a reference sample of 300 Dutch infants. Analyses included multivariable logistic regression analysis to estimate differences in IMP scores below the 15th centile between children with CCHD and the reference group, and linear mixed-effects models to assess the effect of ventricular physiology and systemic oxygen saturation (SpO2) of less than 90% on IMP outcomes.

Results: Infants with CCHD had increased risks of total IMP scores below the 15th centile (lowest odds ratio [OR] at 18mo: 6.82 [95% confidence interval {CI} 2.87-16.19]), especially because of lower scores in the domains of variation, adaptability, and performance. Children with single ventricle CCHD scored consistently 3.03% (95% CI 1.00-5.07) lower than those with two ventricle physiology, mainly from contributions of the variation and performance domains. SpO2 of less than 90% was associated with 2.52% (95% CI 0.49-4.54) lower IMP scores.

Interpretation: CCHD, especially single ventricle physiology, increases risk of impaired motor development.

Document Type

Article

PubMed ID

35665492