Heart Failure in Children and Adolescents 2023

Dear Colleagues,

Pediatric heart failure is a serious and often life-threatening condition in which the heart is no longer able to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Some of the most common causes of heart failure in children and adolescents include congenital heart defects, cardiomyopathy, infections, arrhythmia, pulmonary hypertension, and genetic disorders. Since heart failure has different causes and outcomes, it is important to recognize how it is diagnosed, treated, and even cured in younger children.

The costs associated with a heart failure diagnosis are disproportionately high. Both a prolonged hospital length of stay and frequent hospital admissions contribute to high resource utilization in the care of patients with pediatric heart failure. Furthermore, the costs associated with medical care can quickly add up, leading to significant financial burden for patients and their families. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop more effective and efficient treatments and management strategies that can help reduce healthcare costs and improve outcomes for children with heart failure.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore the latest research and advances in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of pediatric heart failure, including the epidemiology and pathophysiology of pediatric heart failure, the latest imaging and diagnostic techniques, and emerging treatment strategies such as mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation.

This Special Issue also features articles on the impact of pediatric heart failure on patients and their families, including the psychosocial aspects of the disease and the importance of patient and family-centered care.

Other articles focus on quality improvement initiatives in pediatric heart failure care, including efforts to reduce hospital readmissions and improve patient outcomes, as well as the latest research on pediatric heart failure rehabilitation, pediatric cardiac pharmacology, and the role of exercise in the management of the disease.

Given the advances in cardiac development and genetics research on pediatric cardiovascular disease, it is not outside the realm of possibility for a pediatric discovery to be made that will also benefit adults with heart failure.

Overall, this Special Issue on pediatric heart failure aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest research and clinical practices in the field and highlights the ongoing efforts to improve outcomes for children with this complex and challenging condition. Contributions related to all aspects of these topics are welcome.

Dr. Nancy Saad
Prof. Dr. Carl V. Leier
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Cardiogenetics
• Cardiomyopathy
• Congenital Heart Disease
• Heart Failure
• Heart Failure Diagnosis
• Heart Failure Treatment
• Heart Transplantation
• Pathophysiology
• Pediatric Heart Failure and Exercise
• Pediatric Heart Failure and Mental Health