Emotional and behavioral problems in children with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in children is an important cause of severe heart failure and carries a poor prognosis. Adults with heart failure are at increased risk of anxiety and depression and such symptoms predict adverse clinical outcomes such as mortality. In children with DCM, studies examining these associations are scarce.

Distribution of strain patterns in children with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the predicting value of quantitative and qualitative dyssynchrony parameters as assessed by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) on outcome in children with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Furthermore, the reproducibility of these parameters was investigated.

Background: In previous studies in adults with heart failure, several dyssynchrony parameters have been shown to be a valuable predictor of clinical outcome.

Parent reports of health-related quality of life and heart failure severity score independently predict outcome in children with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy in children causes heart failure and has a poor prognosis. Health-related quality of life in this patient group is unknown. Moreover, results may provide detailed information of parents' sense of their child's functioning.

Six-Minute Walk Test as a Predictor for Outcome in Children with Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Chronic Stable Heart Failure.

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing is an important tool to predict prognosis in children and adults with heart failure. A much less sophisticated exercise test is the 6 min walk test, which has been shown an independent predictor for morbidity and mortality in adults with heart failure. Therefore, we hypothesized that the 6 min walk test could be predictive for outcome in children with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Usefulness of Serial N-terminal Pro-B-type Natriuretic Peptide Measurements to Predict Cardiac Death in Acute and Chronic Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Children.

N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is an important predictor of outcome in adults with heart failure. In children with heart failure secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy (DC) markers that reliably predict disease progression and outcome during follow-up are scarce. We investigated whether serial NT-proBNP measurements were predictive for outcome in children with DC.

Prospective Evaluation of Sleep Apnea as Manifestation of Heart Failure in Children.

In adults with heart failure, central sleep apnea (CSA), often manifested as Cheyne-Stokes respiration, is common, and has been associated with adverse outcome. Heart failure in children is commonly caused by dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). It is unknown whether children with heart failure secondary to DCM have CSA, and whether CSA is related to the severity of heart failure.

Management of children with dilated cardiomyopathy in The Netherlands: Implications of a low early transplantation rate.

Background: The policy for listing and transplant for children with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in The Netherlands has been conservative because of low donor availability. The effects of this policy on outcome are reported.

Methods: This was a multicenter, nationwide study performed in 148 children with DCM.

Feeding and drinking skills in preterm and low birth weight infants compared to full term infants at a corrected age of nine months.

Feeding and drinking skills were registered in 47 preterm (<32 weeks) and/or low birth weight (<1500 g) infants and compared to 52 healthy full term infants at a (corrected) age of nine months. In the preterm and/or SGA infants a delay was found for sufficient postural balance, drinking independently from a bottle, eating skills and accepting teeth brushing at a corrected age of nine months compared to healthy controls. For tongue position and movement, and choking during drinking no difference was found between both groups.