Interstage Home Monitoring for Infants With Single Ventricle Heart Disease

Published: August 11, 2020

healthcare professional assessing baby’s development at home
  • For infants with shunt-dependent single ventricle heart disease (SVHD), the adoption of interstage home monitoring practices has been associated with significantly improved morbidity and mortality.
  • The interstage period has been defined as the time of discharge from the initial palliative procedure to the time of second stage palliation. High mortality rates during the interstage period led to the implementation of in-home surveillance strategies to detect changes preceding hemodynamic decompensation in infants with SVHD.
  • This statement reviews in-hospital readiness for discharge, caregiver support and education, healthcare teams and resources, surveillance strategies and practices, national quality improvement efforts, interstage outcomes, and future areas for research.