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? |