Respiratory failure in congenital heart disease

Infants and children with congenital heart disease (CHD) present unique difficulties when they develop respiratory failure, either as a consequence of their heart disease, in relation to cardiac surgery, or from infectious causes. Extensive cardiac surgical repairs are now being performed on younger infants with complex anatomy and physiology. The evolution of cardiac surgical technique and perioperative management has revealed the importance of subtle interactions between respiratory physiology and hemodynamic performance.