Heart failure in children
If heart diseases in newborns and babies, as well as in older children are detected on time, this allows them to be successfully treated and in many cases save the child, preventing the appearance of complications and irreversible changes.
However, sometimes disturbing symptoms go unnoticed. Because of this, the baby can develop heart failure. And therefore all parents should know how to determine such a problem in a baby, so that timely therapy eliminates this condition, which is dangerous for the child's life.
What is it
Heart failure (abbreviated as CH) refers to a condition in which, due to the reduced contractility of the heart muscle, blood circulation is disturbed inside and outside the heart. With such a pathology, the myocardium is unable to provide the desired release of blood, which is why the entire child’s body suffers.
Chronic insufficiency, which develops due to various pathologies of blood vessels and the heart, is more common. The main danger of such a condition is the presence of a latent stage of the course, so without timely early diagnosis, the pathology turns into a difficult and life-threatening child.
The reasons
In newborns, heart failure is often triggered by congenital heart defects, especially if they are severe or combined. In infants, the development of heart failure is possible both due to congenital malformations and due to congenital myocarditis. If an infant develops an infective endocarditis, valve damage can also lead to the appearance of HF.
In children over the age of 7, the cause of heart failure is often rheumatism, a manifestation of which is acquired valvular defects and damage to the heart muscle.
Any child’s age CH can cause:
- Cardiomyopathy.
- Chronic tachyarrhythmias.
- Kidney diseases in which oliguria or anuria begins.
- Serious lung diseases, such as chronic pneumonia or fibrosing alveolitis.
- Injuries.
- Overloading of the body due to excessive infusion therapy.
- Severe anemia.
- Heart surgery.
Symptoms
In childhood, heart failure occurs:
- Shortness of breath.
- Weakness
- Increased fatigue.
- Sweating.
- Tachycardia.
- Cyanosis of the skin.
- Cough.
- Enlarged liver.
- Swelling of the veins around the neck.
- Edema.
A more detailed answer to the question of what heart failure is and how to treat it can be heard in the next video.
Classification
As already noted, CH in children is divided into:
- Chronic, which occurs most frequently.
- Acute, which is mainly a chronic complication. The main features of this state is the rapid development and severity of the child’s condition.
If you take into account changes in the child's body, you can select:
- Diastolic HF when cavities are poorly filled in diastole.
- Systolic heart failure, when cardiac output is reduced due to the inability of the myocardium to normal contraction or during its volume overload.
In addition, this pathology happens:
- Left ventricular. Due to the fact that this pathology mainly affects the small circle of blood circulation, such HF is also called cardiopulmonary. It is manifested by shortness of breath, cyanosis and cough, and in severe cases pulmonary edema develops.
- Right ventricular. In this form of HF, the right side of the heart and the great circulation are suffering, so its other name is cardiovascular insufficiency. With this pathology increases the liver and spleen, as well as edema appear.
Depending on the severity of the condition, these stages of HF are distinguished:
- I - symptoms are absent in the calm state and appear only with the load.
- II A - clinical manifestations are at rest and are manifested by an increase in heart rate by 25-30%, an increase in BH by 30-50%, and in right-ventricular CH - by liver protrusion by 2-3 cm.
- II B - symptoms are manifested by an increase in heart rate by 30-50%, an increase in BH by 50-70%, the appearance of cyanosis, cough, moist rales in the lungs, and with right ventricular HF - not only by liver protrusion, but also by swelling of the veins in the neck.
- III - with left ventricular CH, this stage is characterized by a significant increase in BH and HR, as well as the development of pulmonary edema, and in right ventricular - an increase in liver and edema syndrome.
Diagnostics
Having noticed the signs of heart failure in a child, it is important to immediately contact a pediatrician who will refer the baby to a cardiologist and for such examinations:
- Auscultation.
- Echocardiography with doppler.
- ECG.
- Roentgenoscopy.
Treatment
Acute heart failure requires immediate response from parents and physicians. The child needs emergency care, which will eliminate hypoxia, relieve blood vessels, improve the contractility of the organ, and eliminate electrolyte disorders. For this, the child is given oxygen, diuretic drugs, blood vessels, vitamins, antispasmodics, glycosides, and other medicines. At the same time, only a doctor should prescribe any medications to a child with a diseased organ.
With chronic HF therapy will be aimed at:
- Elimination of tachycardia, shortness of breath and fluid retention.
- Protection of the myocardium, brain, blood vessels and kidneys.
- Improving the child’s quality of life and prognosis.
In complex cases, resort to surgery, which may be the use of a cardioprosthesis, performing cardiomyoplasty or a heart transplant. Of great importance in the treatment and rehabilitation of children with HF is also a daily regimen, a balanced diet, measured physical activity.
For more on heart failure in children, see “Live healthy!”.
