Understanding and treatment of heart failure

Despite ever-improving management options, paediatric heart failure continues to be a significant global health problem. The young age of presentation increases the number of causes of heart failure, which include congenital defects, primary or secondary heart muscle disease and high output systemic failure. Therapy is aimed towards correcting the underlying cause, or at least halting symptoms and progression. Recent drug trials have highlighted the importance of paediatric randomised control trials to determine the effectiveness of established adult heart failure medications in children, in whom the underlying pathology is different. This review aims to describe the main causes and treatments of heart failure in children.