Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 4, 2026
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Integrating lipid screening with ideal cardiovascular health assessment in pediatric settings
Piers Blackett1, Minu George1, Don P Wilson2
1Department of Pediatrics and the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Insights
Pediatric lipid screening is crucial for preventing adult disease, but US implementation lags. Integrating the American Heart Association ideal cardiovascular health (ICVH) model can improve lipid screening and familial hypercholesterolemia detection in children.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Health
- Pediatric Lipidology
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- International guidelines support pediatric lipid screening to prevent adult diseases.
- US pediatricians face implementation challenges and provider uncertainty, leading to reduced screening rates for conditions like obesity, hypertension, and prediabetes.
- Early detection and intervention are vital for reversing arterial wall pathology risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present the integration of the American Heart Association ideal cardiovascular health (ICVH) model with pediatric lipid screening.
- To demonstrate compatibility with comprehensive pediatric lipidology practice and enhance familial hypercholesterolemia detection.
- To provide a framework for cardiovascular risk assessment and management in pediatric settings.
Main Methods:
- The study discusses the American Heart Association ideal cardiovascular health (ICVH) model, which evaluates seven ideal health metrics (obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes risk, blood pressure, exercise, diet, smoking).
- ICVH scores range from 0 to 7, with lower scores indicating higher cardiovascular risk.
- The model's inverse correlation with arterial structural changes supports its use as a preventive construct.
Main Results:
- National surveys indicate low ICVH scores in adolescents, highlighting a significant public health concern.
- The ICVH model, when integrated with lipid screening, offers a comprehensive approach to cardiovascular risk assessment in children.
- Implementation of the ICVH model requires greater clinical expertise and administrative support compared to lipid screening alone.
Conclusions:
- The ICVH model provides a valuable framework for pediatric cardiovascular risk assessment and prevention, complementing lipid screening.
- Enhanced detection of familial hypercholesterolemia is possible through this integrated approach.
- Successful clinical implementation necessitates increased provider expertise and dedicated administrative resources.
Abstract:
Pediatric lipid screening and management with the aim of reducing and preventing adult disease is an internationally accepted concept, and guidelines have been published in several countries. However, implementation by the practicing pediatric community in the United States has been less than expected and delays have been attributed to uncertainty among providers. Reduced screening rates have also been reported for conditions contributing to arterial wall pathology such as obesity, hypertension, and prediabetes despite accumulating evidence that detection and intervention can lead to risk reversal. Consistent with graded and evidence-based national guidelines for comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment and management, we present how the American Heart Association ideal cardiovascular health (ICVH) model can be integrated with lipid screening, and how it can be compatible with comprehensive pediatric lipidology practice and enhanced familial hypercholesterolemia detection. Since being introduced and retrospectively validated in adults and children in cross-sectional studies, ICVH evaluates thresholds for seven ideal health metrics representing measurements of obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes risk, and blood pressure, and includes exercise, diet, and smoking behaviors. When each metric is valued as a point, the maximum health score is 7, but national surveys have shown unacceptable low scores in adolescence. Inverse correlation of scores with arterial structural change supports use of ICVH as a collection of treatable targets forming a cardiovascular prevention construct including and supporting lipid screening in pediatric settings, but implementation in clinical practice requires more expertise and administrative support than lipid screening alone.
More Related Videos
09:00TBase - an Integrated Electronic Health Record and Research Database for Kidney Transplant Recipients
Published on: April 13, 2021
05:56Implementation of Non-invasive Point of Care Transient Elastography for Evaluation of Liver Disease in Pediatric Populations with Cystic Fibrosis
Published on: August 29, 2025
Related Concept Videos
01:29Assessment of the Cardiovascular System II: Inspection
Head and Neck
03:38Structure of Lipids
02:24Ideal Solutions
01:25Assessment of the Cardiovascular System IV: Auscultation
Normal Heart Sounds
S1 (First Heart Sound)-
S1 is made by the closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves (atrioventricular valves), marking the beginning of systole.
S2 (Second Heart Sound)-
S2 is made by the closure of the aortic and pulmonic valves (semilunar valves), marking the end of the systole.
01:23Assessment of the Cardiovascular System I: Subjective Data
Initial Enquiry
Ask the patient about their primary concern and thoroughly explore all reported symptoms.
Medical History
Investigate past illnesses affecting the cardiovascular system, such as angina, anemia, rheumatic fever, congenital heart disease, stroke, thrombophlebitis, dysrhythmias, varicosities
Inquire about symptoms...
01:27Assessment of the Cardiovascular System III: Palpation
Jugular Venous Pressure (JVP) Measurement
Position the patient at a thirty- to forty-five-degree angle or in a semi-fowler's position. Look for the highest point of pulsation in the internal jugular vein and measure the vertical distance to the angle of Loius or sternal angle. A normal JVP is 3-4 cm above...