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[Apparently primary acute heart failure in infants. Long-term outcome]
Archives Des Maladies Du Coeur Et Des Vaisseaux
|April 1, 1978
Summary
Acute primary cardiac failure in young children has a variable outlook, with no specific indicators predicting long-term outcomes. Many infants recover, but some experience sequelae or persistent heart failure.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Pathology
- Clinical Pediatrics
Context:
- Acute primary cardiac failure in infants and young children presents a consistent clinical picture.
- Etiologies include myocarditis, fibroelastosis, and primary non-obstructive cardiomyopathies, which are clinically indistinguishable.
- The early phase is critical due to high mortality.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the long-term prognosis of acute primary cardiac failure in infants and young children.
- To determine if clinical, X-ray, or ECG findings can predict long-term outcomes.
- To explore the relationship between myocarditis and fibroelastosis.
Summary:
- A follow-up study of 61 infants under 30 months with acute primary cardiac failure was conducted over 5-20 years.
- Outcomes included 33 cures, 22 with minor sequelae (e.g., left ventricular hypertrophy), 3 with persistent failure, and 3 late deaths.
- No clinical, radiological, or electrocardiographic features reliably predicted the long-term outlook.
Impact:
- Highlights the favorable prognosis for many children surviving the acute phase of primary cardiac failure.
- Underscores the diagnostic challenge in differentiating between myocarditis and fibroelastosis in pediatric patients.
- Emphasizes the need for continued monitoring as current diagnostic tools do not predict long-term outcomes.