Placental pathology in infants with Congenital Heart Disease is associated with new postoperative brain injury

Motivation: Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is common and associated with impaired placental development, brain injury and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Understanding links between placental pathology and brain injury in CHD is crucial for developing strategies to identify at-risk infants. Goal(s): To explore associations between placental pathology and brain injury pre- and postoperatively in infants with CHD. Approach: Comparing placental pathology scores to the presence of brain injury on pre- and postoperative MRI. Results: There was no significant difference between placental histology scores for infants with or without brain injury preoperatively. However, placental pathology scores were significantly higher in infants with new postoperative brain injury (P=0.015). Impact: Brain injury and placental pathology are common in CHD. Placental pathology appears to be associated with an increased risk for new postoperative brain injury in infants with CHD, potentially allowing high-risk individuals to be identified prior to undergoing surgery.