Preoperative diagnosis and management of infants with critical congenital heart disease.

Operative repair with an associated low morbidity and mortality is available now for most infants with congenital cardiac defects. Precise preoperative diagnosis is an essential part of continuing attempts to lower the operative risk for these patients. In this review we cover major areas of concern in regard to preoperative diagnosis and management. Long-term follow-up studies with clinical, hemodynamic, electrophysiological, and exercise data are required to assess current diagnostic and therapeutic practices.