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Anemia common, tied to adverse outcomes in children with acute HF

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Anemia is prevalent in approximately one in five children with acute HF and is associated with poor outcomes, according to data presented at Cardiology 2016.

The prevalence of anemia is widespread in adults with HF, but the prevalence in pediatric HF was unknown, according to Jason F. Goldberg, MD, clinical postdoctoral fellow in pediatric cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, and colleagues.

Jason F. Goldberg

The researchers analyzed 2,968 children (51.1% boys) identified in the Pediatric Health Information System database as being admitted to a hospital between 2004 and 2013 with acute decompensated HF and a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy. They presented their findings at Cardiology 2016, the 19th Annual Update on Pediatric and Congenital Cardiovascular Disease.

The study did not include patients with infectious or inflammatory causes of HF, congenital heart disease, CV surgery, rejection of a heart transplant, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or restrictive cardiomyopathy.

Overall, 19% of patients had anemia, 10% died and the median length of stay was 11 days.

After adjustment for age, sex and race, patients with anemia were more likely than patients without it to require ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, a ventricular assist device, and use of vasopressors or inotropes, according to the researchers. Patients with anemia also had a longer length of stay.

When the researchers evaluated trends in treatment for patients with anemia over time, they found that packed red blood cell transfusion and iron therapy had no appreciable effect on outcomes, and concluded that further study is needed to better assess targeted anemia therapies in this population.

“This is the first national evaluation of anemia in pediatric [HF],” Goldberg and colleagues wrote in an abstract. “Anemia is prevalent in this population and is associated with adverse outcomes.” – by Erik Swain

Reference:

Goldberg JF, et al. Abstract 42. Presented at: Cardiology 2016, the 19th Annual Update on Pediatric and Congenital Cardiovascular Disease; Feb. 24-28, 2016; Orlando, Fla.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.