Children born with heart problems often struggle to grow normally because their hearts don’t pump blood as well as they should. Researchers studied 200 children with heart defects before and after they had surgery to fix their hearts. They found that after surgery, children grew much better—weight problems dropped from 44% to just 3.5% two years later. Height and head size also improved significantly. Kids with more serious blue-tinged heart defects (cyanotic) had more growth problems than those with less severe defects, but surgery helped both groups. This research shows that fixing heart problems early through surgery can help children catch up on their growth.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: How children with birth heart defects grow before and after heart surgery, and whether the type of heart defect affects growth recovery
  • Who participated: 200 children aged 1 month to 15 years with congenital heart disease (both serious and less serious types) who had open-heart surgery between 2016 and 2020
  • Key finding: After surgery, children’s growth improved dramatically: weight problems dropped from 44% to 3.5%, height problems fell from 40.5% to 9.5%, and head size problems decreased from 6.5% to 1.5% within two years
  • What it means for you: If your child has a birth heart defect, surgery can significantly improve their ability to grow normally. However, some growth challenges may continue long-term, so ongoing monitoring and support remain important. Talk with your child’s heart doctor about growth expectations and nutrition support.

The Research Details

Researchers looked back at medical records of 200 children with heart defects who had surgery at one hospital in Iran between 2016 and 2020. They measured how much the children weighed, how tall they were, and how big their heads were before surgery and then again 1-2 years after surgery. They split the children into two groups: those with more serious heart defects that made their skin look bluish (cyanotic) and those with less serious defects (non-cyanotic). They used special math to compare the two groups while accounting for age and gender differences.

This type of study is called a cross-sectional study, which means researchers collected information at specific points in time rather than following the same children continuously. The researchers looked at hospital records, surgical reports, and measurements that were already taken, rather than doing new measurements themselves.

The study followed children for 1-2 years after surgery to see how their growth changed over time. This timeframe is important because it shows both immediate recovery and longer-term growth patterns.

Understanding how children grow after heart surgery is crucial because children with heart defects often fall behind in growth before surgery. By measuring growth before and after surgery, researchers can show whether fixing the heart problem actually helps children catch up. This information helps doctors decide when to do surgery and what to expect afterward. It also helps identify which children might need extra nutrition support or closer monitoring.

This study has several strengths: it included a large number of children (200), compared two different types of heart defects, and followed children for a meaningful time period (1-2 years). However, the study looked back at existing medical records rather than following children forward in time, which can sometimes miss information. The study was done at one hospital in one country, so results might be slightly different in other places with different healthcare systems. The researchers used appropriate statistical methods to compare groups fairly.

What the Results Show

The most impressive finding was the dramatic improvement in weight after surgery. Before surgery, 44% of children had weight problems (weren’t gaining weight normally). Two years after surgery, this dropped to just 3.5%—meaning almost all children started growing normally again.

Height growth also improved significantly. Before surgery, 40.5% of children had height problems. After surgery, this fell to 9.5%. This means children who were shorter than expected started catching up in height after their hearts were fixed.

Head size (head circumference) showed the smallest problems overall, but still improved. Before surgery, 6.5% of children had head size issues, and after surgery, this dropped to 1.5%.

Children with more serious heart defects (the cyanotic type that makes skin look bluish) had more growth problems than children with less serious defects, both before and after surgery. However, one year after surgery, this difference was most noticeable in weight and height—children with serious defects still had more growth problems than those with less serious defects.

The study also looked at how long children stayed in the hospital after surgery. Interestingly, children without the bluish-tinged heart defects (non-cyanotic) who had growth problems stayed in the intensive care unit (PICU) longer (8.84 days) compared to children with the bluish-tinged defects (8.11 days). They also stayed longer in the regular hospital ward (4.40 days vs. 3.57 days). This suggests that growth problems might be connected to how quickly children recover from surgery.

Previous research has shown that children with birth heart defects often don’t grow well because their hearts can’t pump blood efficiently, meaning less oxygen and nutrients reach their bodies. This study confirms that pattern and adds important new information: surgery fixes this problem for most children. The dramatic improvement in growth after surgery aligns with what doctors expected—when the heart works better, children can use food more efficiently and grow normally. However, the finding that some growth problems persist long-term suggests that children may need extra nutrition support even after successful surgery.

This study looked back at medical records rather than following children forward in time, which means some information might be missing or recorded differently. The study was done at one hospital in Iran, so results might be slightly different in other countries with different healthcare systems or surgical techniques. The researchers didn’t have information about nutrition, feeding practices, or other factors that might affect growth, so they couldn’t fully explain why some children still had growth problems after surgery. The study didn’t include children who didn’t have surgery, so we can’t compare surgery outcomes to no surgery. Finally, the follow-up period was only 1-2 years, so we don’t know if growth problems continue or improve further over many years.

The Bottom Line

If your child has a congenital heart defect, surgery can significantly improve their growth potential (high confidence). Expect major improvements in weight gain within the first 1-2 years after surgery. Work with your child’s heart doctor and a nutrition specialist to ensure your child gets enough calories and nutrients, especially if growth problems continue after surgery (moderate confidence). Monitor your child’s growth regularly with height, weight, and head measurements (high confidence). Children with more serious heart defects may need extra attention to nutrition and growth monitoring (moderate confidence).

Parents and caregivers of children with congenital heart disease should pay close attention to this research. Pediatric cardiologists and heart surgeons should use this information when counseling families about what to expect after surgery. Pediatricians and nutrition specialists caring for children with heart defects should know that surgery dramatically improves growth potential. Children with serious (cyanotic) heart defects may benefit especially from this information, as they showed the most growth problems before surgery but the most improvement after surgery.

Most dramatic growth improvements happen in the first year after surgery—weight problems dropped from 44% to about 10% by one year. By two years after surgery, weight problems are nearly resolved (3.5%). Height improvements continue over the full 2-year period. Some children may continue to have mild growth challenges even after surgery, so ongoing monitoring is important. Don’t expect overnight changes, but expect steady improvement over months.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track your child’s weight and height monthly using a growth chart app. Compare measurements to age-appropriate growth standards. Set a goal to see steady upward movement on the growth chart, especially in the first 12 months after surgery. Take photos of growth chart progress to share with your child’s doctor.
  • Use the app to set reminders for nutrition check-ins (ensuring adequate calories and protein), schedule regular growth measurements, and log any concerns about eating or growth. Create a pre- and post-surgery comparison view to visualize improvement. Share growth data with your child’s medical team during appointments.
  • Establish a routine of measuring height and weight every 4-6 weeks for the first year after surgery, then every 3 months for the second year. Use the app to track trends rather than focusing on single measurements. Alert your doctor if growth slows or stops improving. Keep detailed notes about nutrition, appetite, and any feeding difficulties to discuss with your healthcare team.

This research summary is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Every child’s situation is unique, and growth patterns after heart surgery can vary significantly. Always consult with your child’s cardiologist, pediatrician, and nutrition specialist for personalized guidance about your child’s growth, nutrition, and recovery after heart surgery. If you have concerns about your child’s growth or development, contact your healthcare provider immediately. This summary reflects one research study and should be considered alongside other medical evidence and your child’s individual circumstances.