In the United States, approximately 1 in every 100 newborns is diagnosed with congenital heart disease (CHD). Many of these newborns (25%-35%) will require either corrective or palliative open heart surgery. As recently as the 1960's, only 20% of newborns with critical CHD survived to adulthood. Today, thanks to better diagnostic technologies and methods (including prenatal diagnosis), advances in surgery, and improved postoperative care, early survival is over 90%. However, with improved early outcomes has come the sobering recognition that there is an ongoing risk of late mortality, as well as significant morbidity for these children. In particular, neurodevelopmental disability is now recognized as the most common complication of critical CHD (i.e. those patients requiring cardiac surgery in infancy) and has the most negative impact on quality of life, academic performance and opportunity for independence as an adult.