Congestive heart failure (peds)

Background

  • Pediatric congestive heart failure (CHF) affects 12,000-35,000 children in the United States each year[1]
  • The causes and clinical presentation varies differently compared to adults
  • Causes

Clinical Features

  • Symptoms[2]
    • Difficulty breathing
    • Feeding difficulty - irritability with feeding, prolonged feeding time, refusal to feed
      • If an infant has to decide between feeding and breathing, he/she will choose to breathe
    • Sweating with feeds
      • "Exercise intolerance"
    • Failure to thrive
    • Fussiness
  • Physical Exam
    • Tachycardia
    • Tachypnea with labored breathing
    • Rales
    • Hepatomegaly
    • Cyanosis
    • Edema of face and limbs
    • Older children: fatigue, exercise intolerance, dyspnea, orthopnea, abdominal pain, dependent edema[3]

Differential Diagnosis

Evaluation

Management

Disposition

See Also

External Links

References

  1. Rossano JW, Kim JJ, Decker JA, et al. Prevalence, morbidity, and mortality of heart failure-related hospitalizations in children in the United States: a population-based study. J Card Fail 2012; 18:459
  2. Judge et al. Congenital Heart Disease In Pediatric Patients: Recognizing The Undiagnosed And Managing Complications In The Emergency Department. Pediatr Emerg Med Pract. 2016. May;13(5):1-28
  3. Jayaprasad. Heart Failure in Children. Heart Views. 2016 Jul-Sep;17(3):92-99