Macrophage migration inhibitory factor and chemokine RANTES in young pediatric patients with congenital cardiac communications: Relation to hemodynamic parameters and the presence of Down syndrome.

•MIF and RANTES are differently overexpressed in patients with cardiac shunts.•MIF and RANTES are higher in patients but not controls with Down syndrome.•Serum RANTES is nonlinearly related to pulmonary blood flow.•Serum MIF is elevated in patients with heightened pulmonary vascular resistance.•Preoperative MIF predicts pulmonary artery pressure after repair of cardiac anomalies.