Heart failure in children studied in relation to its causes and outcome

To identify the aetiology and outcome of congestive heart failure in children, a prospective study was carried out in the department of paediatric medicine, Medical College, Kolkata among 0-12 years children with documented signs and symptoms of heart failure. Proper history taking, physical examination, chest x-ray, ECG, echocardiography and maintenance of management records were done. A total of 350 cases were enrolled. Congenital heart disease was seen in 34% cases and the rest were due to acquired heart disease. Anaemia was detected in 17.4% cases. Mortality was 2.85%.