Pepi heart survival rate alarms researchers 16 Jul 2021 15:18 PM More Related Stories Related Podcast Liggins Institute researchers want to know why fewer Māori and Pacific pēpi survive critical congenital heart disease compared with European babies. Institute director and project head Professor Frank Bloomfield says researchers including Starship paediatrician Dr Simone Watkins will travel the country to ask affected families about their experiences of the medical system, starting with the baby’s diagnosis, as part of trying to understand why the ethnic disparities exist. He says lower survival rates in Māori and Pasifika pēpi don’t seem to be explained by the severity of the condition itself.