ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the scientific literature on the application of management tools in the postoperative period of pediatric cardiac surgery. Methods: integrative review including studies published between 2004 and 2018 in the following databases: LILACS, BDENF, coleciona SUS, MEDLINE/PUBMED, CINAHL and SCOPUS, via Portal de Periódicos da Capes, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and Academic Google research. Results: Twelve articles that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. The studies demonstrated that strategies such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, renal replacement therapy and the risk scores for Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery 1 and Aristotle Basic Score favored the stratification the demand for care and predicted the risk for mortality. Final considerations: The applicability of risk scores and emerging strategies for the management of childcare in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery was described by the evaluation of possibilities of performance and/or efficiency of the treatments developed.