Growth failure in infants born with CHD is a persistent problem, even in those provided with adequate nutrition.

To summarise the published data describing the change in urinary metabolites during metabolic maturation in infants with CHD and identify pathways amenable to therapeutic intervention

Scoping review.

Studies using qualitative or quantitative methods to describe urinary metabolites pre- and post-cardiac surgery and the relationship with growth in infants with CHD.

NICE Healthcare Databases website was used as a tool for multiple searches.

347 records were identified, of which 37 were duplicates. Following the removal of duplicate records, 310 record abstracts and titles were screened for inclusion. The full texts of eight articles were reviewed for eligibility, of which only two related to infants with CHD. The studies included in the scoping review described urinary metabolites in 42 infants. A content analysis identified two overarching themes of metabolic variation predictive of neurodevelopmental abnormalities associated with anaerobic metabolism and metabolic signature associated with the impact on gut microbiota, inflammation, energy, and lipid digestion.

The results of this scoping review suggest that there are considerable gaps in our knowledge relating to metabolic maturation of infants with CHD, especially with respect to growth. Surgery is a key early life feature for CHD infants and has an impact on the developing biochemical phenotype with implications for metabolic pathways involved in immunomodulation, energy, gut microbial, and lipid metabolism. These early life fingerprints may predict those individuals at risk for neurodevelopmental abnormalities.