Pediatric Cardiology News

Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect, affecting nearly 1% of births per year in the United States, according to the CDC.

Texas Children’s Hospital was named the top hospital for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery in the 2023 to 2024 rankings by U.S. News & World Report for the seventh consecutive year.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center was ranked No. 1 on the U.S. News & World Report’s list of best children’s hospitals for the first time.

In a large Israeli cohort, adolescent hypertension was associated with a more than twofold increased risk for stroke by midlife, even after adjustment for BMI, baseline sociodemographic factors and diabetes.

Most teens and young adults with advanced heart disease prefer patient-led, active decision-making to discuss treatment risks, prognosis and end-of-life care, whereas caregivers prefer parent/physician shared decision-making, data show.

The first prospective FDA-regulated device trial using a pediatric ventricular assist device registry was launched in November. It could transform how research is conducted in children with advanced heart failure.

Perioperative corticosteroids did not improve in-hospital mortality for children who underwent cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, though corticosteroids may reduce hospital length of stay, data show.

Primary hypertension in children is a predictor of hypertension and other CVD in adulthood, yet the condition is often unrecognized and undertreated.

Adolescents who were sedentary had greater increases in left ventricular mass than those who were physically active, according to a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.

A review of electronic health records data showed that fewer than half of children with elevated BP have a guideline-adherent diagnosis code or attended guideline-adherent follow-up, and that clinical decision support tools are underused.