Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis Versus Placebo in Critically Ill Infants With Congenital Heart Disease

Infants with congenital heart disease often require an intervention during their first year of life. Infants are generally admitted to a cardiac intensive care unit and are routinely prescribed stress ulcer prophylaxis to decrease acid release from the stomach to prevent stress ulcer formation. However, these medicines may not be safe and could put infants at increased risk for hospital-acquired infections, necrotizing enterocolitis and alteration to the infant's microbiome. The investigators plan to assess the feasibility of conducting a prospective, blinded randomized control trial to determine the safety of withholding stress ulcer prophylaxis in critically ill infants with congenital heart disease. In addition, the investigators plan to examine the changes to the infant's microbiome through oral, gastric and stool samples and compare hospital-acquired infections.