Profiles of heart failure in adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease

Medical Therapy and Monitoring in Adult Congenital Heart Disease Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) is an increasingly common problem facing ACHD and advanced heart disease and transplant providers. Patients are highly nuanced, and therapies are poorly studied. Standard HF medications are often used in patients who are not targets of large clinical trials. HF management in this data-free zone requires focused, comprehensive team-based care and close follow-up and communication with patients.

Pathophysiology and clinical presentation of paediatric heart failure related to congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease (CHD) and cardiomyopathies represent the two most important causes of paediatric heart failure (HF) in developed countries. We made a review of the literature on pathophysiology and clinical presentation of paediatric HF in children with CHD. Two main pathophysiologic models can be identified: the 'over-circulation failure', characterised by signs and symptoms of congestion or hypoperfusion, due respectively to volume or pressure overload, and the 'pump failure'. CONCLUSIONS: The comprehension of the HF pathophysiology in paediatric patients with CHD is of paramount importance for the optimal management and for addressing the best therapeutic choices.

Delayed diagnosis in children with congenital heart disease: a mixed-method study

BACKGROUND

Delayed diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) causes significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to determine the proportion of delayed diagnosis of CHD and factors related to the delayed diagnosis.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study with mixed-methods was conducted in Dr. Sardjito Hospital, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Patients aged < 18 years with newly diagnosed CHD and echocardiography confirmed CHD were included. Data were recorded from medical records and interviews from direct caregivers. Logistic regression was used to identify independent factors associated with the delay.

RESULTS

A total of 838 patients were included with median age of 2.9 years (0-17.7 years), with female predominance (54.2%, n = 454). The proportions of delayed diagnosis were 60.8% (510), 54.9% (373) and 86.2% (137) in all children with CHD, acyanotic and cyanotic CHD, respectively. Delayed diagnosis by doctor was the most common cause, followed by delayed diagnosis related to midwifery care, financial, referral/follow-up, and social factors. In multivariate analysis, cyanotic CHD, residence outside the city, non-syndromic, low family income, normal labour and at term gestation at birth were independently associated with the delay. At diagnosis, heart failure and pulmonary hypertension occurred in 414 (49.4%) and 132 (15.8%) children with CHD, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Six in ten children with CHD were diagnosed with significant delay. Delayed diagnosis by doctor was the most common cause. Children with cyanotic CHD, residence outside the city, non-syndromic, low family income, normal labour and at term gestation at birth were independently associated with the delay. Comorbid complications in delayed diagnosis of CHD were prevalent.

Symptom Frequency in Children with Congenital Heart Disease and Parental Care Burden in Predicting the Quality of Life of Parents in Turkey

PURPOSE

This study was conducted to investigate the symptom frequency and parental care burden of the children with congenital heart disease in predicting the quality of life of parents in Turkey.

DESIGN AND METHOD

The study subjects for the present study included 124 parents whose children were suffering from heart disease. The data for the study were collected from these parents using parent information form, the questionnaire of the frequency of heart disease-related symptoms of the child, the caregiver burden scale, and the quality of life scale. The level by which the heart disease-related symptoms of the child and caregiver burden predicted the quality of life was analyzed using the regression analysis.

RESULTS

The most common symptoms in children were found to be anorexia, difficulty in activities, palpitations, shortness of breath, weakness, and fatigue. The number of symptoms observed in children and the care burden of the parents were determined to explain 27.1% of the psychological health sub-dimension, 14.4% of the social relations sub-dimension, and 34.9% of the environment sub-dimension. When the variables were examined separately, the number of symptoms was found to significantly predict only social relations sub-dimensions.

CONCLUSION

Increased number of symptoms increased parental care burden. Increased number of symptoms and care burden of parents reduced the quality of life of parents.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Symptom management is one of the important responsibilities of nurses in improving care burden and quality of life for parents of children with heart disease.