D Connolly1, M Rutkowski, M Auslender, M Artman. 1. New York University, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Cardiology, New York, New York, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The assessment of the severity of heart failure in pediatric patients is handicapped by the subjectivity of diagnostic parameters. This study evaluated the feasibility of a new standardized heart failure index, the New York University Pediatric Heart Failure Index (NYU PHFI), to quantify the degree of heart failure in a selected pediatric population. METHODS AND RESULTS: The index is a weighted, linear combination of scores based on symptoms, physical signs, and medical regimen. Overall, healthy children (n = 12) scored very low (0 to 2) on this index. Mean scores of children (<2 years; mean age, 4.8 months; n = 12) with a left-to-right shunt lesion declined from 11.4 (SD +/- 4.1, P <.001, 2-tailed test) before surgery to 1.8 (SD +/- 1.3) after surgical correction of their cardiac defects. The average inter-observer correlation coefficient was 0.95 (P <.001), despite a wide range of scores. CONCLUSIONS: The NYU PHFI appears to be a reliable and convenient instrument for measuring heart failure severity in children. These initial results support further testing in broader diagnostic and age groups and over longer periods.
OBJECTIVE: The assessment of the severity of heart failure in pediatric patients is handicapped by the subjectivity of diagnostic parameters. This study evaluated the feasibility of a new standardized heart failure index, the New York University Pediatric Heart Failure Index (NYU PHFI), to quantify the degree of heart failure in a selected pediatric population. METHODS AND RESULTS: The index is a weighted, linear combination of scores based on symptoms, physical signs, and medical regimen. Overall, healthy children (n = 12) scored very low (0 to 2) on this index. Mean scores of children (<2 years; mean age, 4.8 months; n = 12) with a left-to-right shunt lesion declined from 11.4 (SD +/- 4.1, P <.001, 2-tailed test) before surgery to 1.8 (SD +/- 1.3) after surgical correction of their cardiac defects. The average inter-observer correlation coefficient was 0.95 (P <.001), despite a wide range of scores. CONCLUSIONS: The NYU PHFI appears to be a reliable and convenient instrument for measuring heart failure severity in children. These initial results support further testing in broader diagnostic and age groups and over longer periods.
Authors: J Soongswang; C Sangtawesin; K Durongpisitkul; D Laohaprasitiporn; A Nana; K Punlee; C Kangkagate Journal: Pediatr Cardiol Date: 2005 Jul-Aug Impact factor: 1.655
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