Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 17, 2025

Implantation of Total Artificial Heart in Congenital Heart Disease
Published on: July 18, 2014
Clinical Practice Guidelines for Common Congenital Heart Diseases: A Scoping Review
Oscar Rivera-Torrejón1, Fabian A Chavez-Ecos2,3, Alvaro Taype-Rondan4,5
1Instituto de Evaluación de Tecnologías en Salud e Investigación - IETSI, EsSalud, Lima, Peru.
Insights
Clinical practice guidelines for congenital heart disease (CHD) often lack systematic reviews and fail to meet quality standards. This highlights a critical need for improved, evidence-based guidelines in CHD diagnosis and management.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Evidence-based Medicine
- Health Policy
Background:
- Congenital heart diseases (CHD) require clear diagnostic and management protocols.
- Clinical practice guidelines (CPG) aim to standardize care but their quality varies.
- Assessing the reliability of current CPG for common CHDs is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the characteristics and reliability of CPG for diagnosing and managing common CHDs.
- To identify gaps in the development and quality of existing CHD guidelines.
Main Methods:
- A scoping review was conducted on CPG for specific CHDs (VSD, ASD, PDA, CoA) published/updated between 2018 and April 2023.
- Searches included general search engines, CPG repositories, and guideline-issuing organizations.
- The Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation II (AGREE-II) tool assessed guideline reliability, with ≥70% considered acceptable quality.
Main Results:
- Twenty-one CPGs were identified for review.
- Only 28.6% of the guidelines incorporated systematic reviews.
- No CPG achieved an acceptable AGREE-II quality score, indicating significant deficiencies.
Conclusions:
- Most CPG for CHD do not meet acceptable quality standards.
- Key areas for improvement include systematic review implementation and stakeholder involvement.
- There is a pressing need for developing robust, evidence-based guidelines to improve CHD diagnosis and management.
Abstract:
Objective. To summarize the characteristics and reliability of clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for diagnosing and managing common congenital heart diseases (CHD). Methods. We conducted a scoping review of CPG for CHD (ventricular septal defects, atrial septal defects, patent ductus arteriosus, and coarctation of aorta) published or updated from 2018 to April 2023. We searched in general search engines, CPG repositories, and webpages of organizations that elaborate CPG. To assess the reliability of CPG, we used the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation II (AGREE-II) tool, with a score ≥70% considered acceptable quality. Results. Twenty-one CPG were identified. Only 6 (28.6%) conducted systematic reviews, and none achieved an acceptable AGREE-II score. "Scope and purpose" had the highest scores, while "stakeholder involvement" had the lowest. Conclusions. Most CPG for CHD lack systematic reviews and do not meet acceptable quality standards, underscoring the need for evidence-based guidelines to guide diagnosis and management effectively.
Related Concept Videos
Cardiomyopathy V: Interprofessional Care
Cardiomyopathy III: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy II: Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Cardiac Catheterization I: Pre-Procedure Overview
Rheumatic Heart Disease IV: Nursing Management
Rheumatic Heart Disease III: Medical Management

