Infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) often have reduced weight gain compared with infants in control groups. Our purpose was to conduct a longitudinal study of energy intake, resting energy expenditure (REE), and total energy expenditure (TEE) of a group of infants with CCHD. We hypothesized that increased REE and TEE and decreased energy intake in these infants would lead to reduced growth. Ten infants with uncorrected CCHD and 12 infants in a control group were studied at 2 weeks of age and again at 3 months. Indirect calorimetry was used to determine REE; the doubly labeled water method was used to determine TEE and intake. At 2 weeks and 3 months of age, infants with CCHD weighed significantly less than infants in the control group. No significant difference was seen in energy intake or REE between groups during either period. TEE was slightly but not statistically increased in the CCHD group at 2 weeks (72.6 +/- 17.4 vs 59.8 +/- 10.9 kcal/kg/d) and significantly increased at 3 months (93.6 +/- 23.3 vs 72.2 +/- 13.2 kcal/kg/d, P </=.03). We conclude that increased TEE but not increased REE is a primary factor in the reduced growth in infants with CCHD.