Evaluation and Management of Chronic Heart Failure in Children and Adolescents With Congenital Heart Disease
Published: May 29, 2024
- As of 2023, a significant proportion of children diagnosed with congenital heart disease (HD) are expected to survive into adulthood. The emergence of heart failure (HF) as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in aging congenital HD patients is increasingly acknowledged.
- Managing HF in congenital HD patients encompasses more than addressing ventricular dysfunction; it also involves managing conditions like anemia and malnourishment and mitigating risk factors for acquired cardiovascular diseases such as diabetes, and hypertension.
- A robust collaborative partnership involving researchers, health care professionals, patients, caregivers, and public and private funding agencies is imperative for generating high-quality data. This collaboration is crucial for bridging gaps in identifying optimal therapies tailored to the pediatric congenital HD HF population.
Video: Understanding Chronic Heart Failure in Children & Adolescents with Congenital Heart Disease
Shahn Amdani, MD, a pediatric cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and transplant cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic Children's, discusses the importance of understanding, evaluating, and managing chronic heart failure in children and adolescents with congenital heart disease, highlighting the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment for this population. The discussion covers topics such as the mechanisms underlying heart dysfunction, ways to define and assess heart failure, available treatment options, management of comorbidities, and therapies for advanced heart failure. He emphasizes the urgent need for the medical community to work together to advance understanding and treatment for heart failure in children with congenital heart conditions to improve their outcomes.