Abstract
Purpose We aim to evaluate clinical outcomes, echocardiographic changes, heart rate (HR) modifications and side effects in children with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and chronic heart failure (HF) treated by high dosage of carvedilol. Methods We prospectively enrolled pediatric patients with DCM and ventricular dysfunction (EF 20% from baseline. Conventional treatment should be started from at least 1 month. Initial dosage of carvedilol was 0.1 mg/kg/day, up-titrated every 2 weeks to a maximum dose of 1 mg/kg/day. All data were compared to an historical control group treated with low dose of carvedilol or without beta-blockers. Data were collected before and after one year of maximum tolerated treatment. Results 65 patients (58% male) were enrolled, mean age was 13.4 +/- 9 years. 72 patients (48% male) were enrolled in the control group, mean age was 3.9 +/- 3.7. Mean duration of treatment was 50 months. HR reduction and EF improvement were statistically significant after treatment (mean HR reduction was 23%, p Conclusion High dosage of carvedilol up-titrated to achieve a reduction of heart rate of 20%, in addition to standard therapy, significantly improve ventricular function and survival in pediatric patients with DCM.
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