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Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Children
Published on: April 29, 2013
Cognitive, and behavioural and emotional functioning of young children awaiting elective cardiac surgery or catheter
E M Utens1, H J Versluis-Den Bieman, M Witsenburg
1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam, The Netherlands. utens@psys.azr.nl
Insights
Children awaiting elective cardiac procedures show favorable cognitive and emotional functioning. Most developmental assessments were comparable to normative groups, indicating good overall well-being before surgery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Cardiology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Children undergoing elective cardiac procedures require assessment of their developmental status.
- Understanding cognitive and emotional functioning is crucial for perioperative care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate cognitive, behavioral, and emotional functioning in young children (3 months to 7 years) before elective cardiac surgery or interventional catheterization.
Main Methods:
- Cognitive function assessed using Bayley Scales of Infant Development and McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities.
- Behavioral and emotional problems evaluated with the Child Behavior Checklist.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in cognitive scores were found when compared to reference groups or between surgical/catheterization groups.
- Behavioral and emotional functioning was comparable to normative groups, except for a higher Child Behavior Checklist score in 2-3 year olds undergoing cardiac surgery.
- Age did not significantly impact cognitive or behavioral outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Young children awaiting elective cardiac interventions demonstrate favorable cognitive and emotional development.
- Developmental functioning is generally within normal limits, suggesting good resilience.
- Targeted monitoring may be beneficial for specific age groups undergoing cardiac surgery.
Aims:
To assess the cognitive, and behavioural and emotional functioning of children aged 3 months to 7 years shortly before elective cardiac surgery or elective interventional catheterisation.
Methods:
We used the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, and the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, to measure cognitive functioning. The Child Behavior Checklist was used to assess behavioural and emotional problems.
Results:
We found no significant differences in mean cognitive scores for children scheduled for cardiac surgery or interventional catheterisation when compared with reference groups. This was also the case for children awaiting cardiac surgery as opposed to those awaiting interventional catheterisation, and for those below as compared to those above the age of 2.5 years. Overall, our results regarding behavioural and emotional functioning were comparable to those of normative reference groups. The only difference found was that the children scheduled for cardiac surgery and aged from 2 to 3 years had significantly higher scores on the Child Behavior Checklist than did peers from normative groups.
Conclusion:
Cognitive, and behavioural and emotional functioning, both for young children awaiting elective cardiac surgery and interventional catheterisation, can be considered as quite favourable.
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