A systematic review of early motor interventions for infants with congenital heart disease and open-heart surgery

BACKGROUND: Motor development delay is the first neurodevelopmental impairment that becomes apparent in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD). Early interventions have addressed high-risk groups like infants born preterm, but little is known about interventions to improve motor outcome in CHD infants at risk of motor delay. The purpose of this review was to systematically review the literature on type and effect of motor intervention applied during the first year of life in infants with CHD following open-heart surgery. METHODS: Scoping searches were performed in May 2020 and April 2023 via MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane, PsycINFO, PEDro, and Scopus. The review included studies published in English from 2015 to 2022. Primary outcome was infants’ motor development measured by standardized and non-standardized motor assessments, and if available, infants’ language and cognitive development, and any parental quality-of-life assessments as secondary outcomes. The studies’ quality was evaluated with a modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale. RESULTS: Four papers with low to high methodological quality met inclusion criteria. All studies investigated the influence of early physiotherapy. Four studies involved parents, and three studies used standardized tools to assess motor outcomes. No conclusion can be drawn about any positive effect of early motor interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Early motor intervention in CHD infants may improve motor development; however, the few existing studies do not provide clear evidence. Thus, more prospective early intervention studies are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42020200981. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13643-023-02320-3.