Dr. Eke Eghosasere Paul gave a presentation on pediatric heart failure to the Nelson Club on September 15, 2014. The presentation covered the epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, clinical signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of heart failure in children. Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot meet the body's metabolic needs due to reduced cardiac output. Compensatory mechanisms initially help maintain function but eventually become ineffective, leading to worsening clinical symptoms. Proper diagnosis and management of the underlying cause are important for treatment.
3. Introduction
DEFINITION OF TERMS
ï‚— Cardiac Output: the amount of blood the heart pumps
through the circulatory system in a minute
ï‚— Stroke Volume: the amount of blood put out by the left
ventricle in one contraction
Cardiac Ouput = Stroke Volume X Heart Rate
ï‚— Preload: the magnitude of the maximal (end-diastolic)
ventricular volume or the end-diastolic pressure
stretching the ventricles
ï‚— Afterload: the resistance against which the left
ventricle must eject its volume of blood during
contraction 3
4. Introduction Contd.
ï‚— Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot deliver
adequate cardiac output to meet the metabolic needs
of the body
ï‚— In the early stages of heart failure, various
compensatory mechanisms are evoked to maintain
normal metabolic function
ï‚— When these mechanisms become ineffective,
increasingly severe clinical manifestations result
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5. Epidemiology
ï‚— Accurately estimating the incidence in children is
problematic
ï‚— In USA, incidence of heart failure due to congenital
defects is between 1-2 per 1000 live births
ï‚— Cardiomyopathy contributes significantly to pediatric
cases that present with heart failure (0.87 per 100,000
in the UK)
ï‚— Data from Nigeria suggests that 7.02% of emergency
paediatric admissions to a tertiary hospital are for
cardiac failure
ï‚— Over 90% of those cases are from lower socio-
economic groups
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7. Pathophysiology
ï‚— Cardiac output in a normal heart is directly
proportional to preload, inversely proportional to
afterload
 ↑Preload → ↑ Cardiac Output, until a maximum is
reached and cardiac output can no longer be
augmented (the Frank-Starling principle)
 Stretching of myocardial fibres → ↑ Stroke Volume
↓
↑ Increased wall tension → ↑myocardial O2 consumption
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10. Clinical Features
Right Heart Failure Left Heart Failure
Oedema Dyspnoea (on exertion, at rest,
orthopnoea, PND)
Right hypochondrial pain (enlarging
liver)
Cough (initially dry, later mucoid,
mucopurulent, frothy, blood-stained)
Abdomial distension (liver, ascites)
Anorexia
Fullness after small helpings of food
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Symptoms:
Infants may present with poor feeding/refusal of feeds, FTT, irritability
and weak cry, noisy respirations, interccostal and subcostal recessions,
flaring of ala nasa
11. Right Heart Failure Left Heart Failure
Ankle oedema Dyspnoea
Tender hepatomegaly Basal crepititions + rhonchi
Ascites S3 or S4 gallop rhythm
Raised JVP, pulsatile Pulsus alternans
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Signs:
• Tachycardia
• Tachypnoea with respiratory distress
• Weak peripheral pulses and/or delayed capillary refill
• Muffled heart sounds
• Murmurs of the original disease
• Arrhythmias may be present
16. Treatment
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
ï‚— ABC, oxygen inhalation
ï‚— Connect to a cardiac monitor
ï‚— Secure an IV line
ï‚— If in shock, intubate and ventilate
ï‚— Keep fluid input/output chart
ï‚— Fluid restriction 70% ml/kg/day
ï‚— If baby is tachypnoeic, consider NG tube feeding
ï‚— Monitor serum electrolytes frequently (especially
potassium)
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17. General Management
ï‚— Bed rest, restriction of activities
ï‚— Diet: salt and water restriction (older
children), increased caloric intake, NG tube
feeding
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18. Therapeutics
DIGITALIS: Digoxin
ï‚— Half the total digitalizing dose is given immediately
and the succeeding two one-quarter doses at 12 hr
intervals later
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Age (Years) Digitalization
(mg/kg/24hr)
Maintenance (mg/kg/24hr)
< 1 month 0.04 — 0.06 0.01
1 month – 2years 0.04 — 0.08 0.01 — 0.02
> 2 years 0.04 — 0.06 0.01
Adult 0.5 — 1.0
(mg/24hrs)
0.25 — 0.5
(mg/24hrs)
20. Prognosis
ï‚— Depends on the underlying cause, stage of
presentation at the hospital, early/accurate diagnosis,
speed of instituting correct therapy, socioeconomic
factor, availability of specialized treatment centres for
surgeries
ï‚— Follow-up
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21. Conclusion
ï‚— Heart failure is a common clinical condition in
children which can present at any age
ï‚— Cases of heart failure should be thoroughly assessed
and investigated for underlying cause for appropriate
diagnosis/treatment
ï‚— Management is usually multifaceted involving several
departments
ï‚— Follow up is essential to monitor progress, and ensure
proper development of the child
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22. References
ï‚— Nelson Textbook of Paediatrics, 19th Edition; Heart
Failure
ï‚— Paediatrics and Child Health in a Tropical Region 2nd
Edition, by Azubuike and Nkanginieme; Heart Failure
in Childhood
ï‚— Medscape Article: Paediatric Congestive Heart Failure
ï‚— Approach to Paediatric Emergency, by Jaydeep
Choudhury and Jayanta Bandyopadhyay
ï‚— A Compendium of Clinical Medicine by A.O. Falase
and O.O. Akinkugbe
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