A Comparison of Developmental Outcomes of Adolescent Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Survivors Born with a Congenital Heart Defect or Born Preterm

Abstract

Objective: To compare cognitive, motor, behavioral, and functional outcomes of adolescents born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) and adolescents born preterm.

Study design: Adolescents (11-19 years old) born with a CHD requiring open-heart surgery during infancy (n = 80) or born preterm ≤29 weeks of gestational age (n = 128) between 1991 and 1999 underwent a cross-sectional evaluation of cognitive (Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised), motor (Movement Assessment Battery for Children-II), behavioral (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), and functional (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale-II) outcomes. Independent samples t tests and Pearson χ² or Fisher exact tests were used to compare mean scores and proportions of impairment, respectively, between groups.

Results: Adolescents born with a CHD and adolescents born preterm had similar cognitive, motor, behavioral, and functional outcomes. Cognitive deficits were detected in 14.3% of adolescents born with a CHD and 11.8% of adolescents born preterm. Motor difficulties were detected in 43.5% of adolescents born with a CHD and 50% of adolescents born preterm. Behavioral problems were found in 23.7% of adolescents in the CHD group and 22.9% in the preterm group. Functional limitations were detected in 12% of adolescents born with a CHD and 7.3% of adolescents born preterm.

Conclusions: Adolescents born with a CHD or born preterm have similar profiles of developmental deficits. These findings highlight the importance of providing long-term surveillance to both populations and guide the provision of appropriate educational and rehabilitation services to better ameliorate long-term developmental difficulties.

Keywords: behavior; cognition; congenital heart defects; functional limitations; motor skills; premature.