Ross FJ, Radman M, Jacobs ML, et al. - In a large sample of children undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease, researchers explored the connection between anthropometric indices of nutrition (height-for-age z-score [HAZ], weight-for-age z-score [WAZ], weight-for-height z-score [WHZ]) and outcomes. Participants in the study were patients in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database having index cardiac surgery at age 1 month to 10 years. According to results, every unit decrease in HAZ was correlated with 1.40 adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of mortality, and every unit decrease in WAZ was related to 1.33 aOR for mortality. Children aged between 1 month and 1 year and those with pulmonary overcirculation induced lesions had the highest incidence of low nutritional indices. Lower HAZ and WAZ, indicative of malnutrition, are linked to increased mortality and other adverse effects in infants and young children following cardiac surgery. Higher WHZ than zero, which is predictive of obesity, is also associated with adverse effects.