We reviewed the current literature for congenital heart disease in the last year. We identified a number of surgical themes that suggest a move of the field in new directions. First is a re-examination of strategies for early intervention in critical aortic stenosis. Although balloon valvotomy has been the standard therapy for this disease over the last 20 years, data now suggest a potential role for primary surgery in this disease. Secondly, we examine new results for palliation of HLHS. The Pediatric Heart Network's (PHN) single ventricle reconstruction (SVR) trial compared shunt types. However, palliation for HLHS is a three-stage process and final judgment regarding the best strategy for stage I palliation should be reserved for an analysis of post-Fontan palliation. New data from the PHN are now beginning to show equipoise for the two palliative strategies. Third, we examine new studies that exemplify the complexities that underlie SCP strategies as an alternative to deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA). In all cases, sequential movement forward suggests that either continued or more rigorous prospective randomized studies be performed to unravel the complexities of treatment for congenital heart disease.