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. 2022 Nov 22;9(2):e002147. doi: 10.1136/openhrt-2022-002147

Table 3.

Top 10 national priorities for research in child/antenatal congenital heart disease (CHD)

Rank Priority for research
1 How can damage to organs (eg, heart, brain, lung, kidney, bowel) during heart surgery in children with CHD be minimised to reduce complications, especially in those who require multiple operations?
2 How can prenatal and postnatal screening strategies (eg, scans, pulse oximetry, novel techniques) be improved to achieve greater accuracy, avoid late diagnosis and reduce complications from CHD?
3 What are the effects of CHD, low oxygen saturations and interventions on brain development and behavioural outcomes, and how can these be improved?
4 How can the frequency or need for reoperations be reduced for people with CHD (eg, improved valve/conduit longevity or that grow with the patient)?
5 How can technology be used to deliver personalised care and improve outcomes in CHD (eg, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, genomics, stem cells, organ regeneration)?
6 What is the impact of living with CHD on mental health in children and how can this be improved through access to psychological support and other therapies?
7 What is the impact of living with CHD on quality of life in children and how can this be improved?
8 How can less invasive interventions be performed for CHD with the same outcomes as open-heart surgery?
9 How can the longevity of the Fontan circulation be prolonged and the impact of complications (eg, liver, protein-losing enteropathy, renal, endocrine, fertility) be reduced?
10 What are the long-term outcomes and life expectancy of children born with CHD?