What determines nutritional recovery in malnourished children after correction of congenital heart defects?
GROUND: Malnutrition is common in children with congenital heart disease (CHD), especially in developing countries. OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of corrective intervention on the nutritional status of children with CHD and identify factors associated with suboptimal recovery. METHODS: Consecutive patients with CHD in a tertiary center in South India were evaluated for nutritional status before and 2 years after corrective intervention. Anthropometry was performed at presentation and every 6 months for 2 years, and z scores were compared. Malnutrition was defined as a weight-for-age, height-for-age, and weight/height z score <-2. Determinants of malnutrition were entered into a multivariate logistic regression analysis model. RESULTS: Of 476 patients undergoing corrective intervention (surgical: 344; catheter-based: 132) z scores of less than -2 for weight for age, height for age, and weight/height were recorded in 59%, 26.3%, and 55.9% of patients, respectively, at presentation. On
