Characteristics and Outcomes of Heart Failure-Related Intensive Care Unit Admissions in Children With Cardiomyopathy

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe patient characteristics and outcomes of heart failure (HF)-related intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalizations in children with cardiomyopathy (CM). Methods and Results: A query of the Pediatric Health Information System database, a large administrative and billing database of 43 tertiary children's hospitals, was performed. A total of 17,309 HF-related ICU hospitalizations from 2005 to 2010 of 14,985 children <= 18 years old were analyzed. Of those, 2,058 (12%) hospitalizations for CM-HF in 1,599 (11%) children were identified. Classification into CM subtypes was not possible owing to database limitations. The number of yearly CM-HF hospitalizations significantly increased during the study period (P = .036). Overall mortality was 11%, and cardiac transplantation occurred in 20% of hospitalizations. Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) was used in 261 (13%) of hospitalizations. Renal failure, MCS, respiratory failure, sepsis, and vasoactive medications were associated with mortality on multivariable analysis. Significant comorbidities associated with these hospitalizations included arrhythmias in 42%, renal failure in 13%, cerebrovascular disease in 6%, and hepatic impairment in 5%. Conclusions: HF-related ICU hospitalizations in children with cardiomyopathy are increasing. These children are at high risk for poor outcomes with an in-hospital mortality of 11%.