ACTION defines and collects pediatric heart failure metrics to implement quality improvement initiatives. This study sought to describe medication use at the time of discharge for children admitted with acute decompensated heart failure in the current era: “Establishing Baseline Metrics of Heart Failure Medication Use in Children: A Collaborative Effort from the ACTION Network.”
Researchers identified 2,288 patients (< 21 year old) with an index admission for acute heart failure and a coexisting diagnosis of cardiomyopathy in the Pediatric Health Information System between 1/1/2011-12/31/2019. Discharge medication use patterns were described and compared across age groups and centers.
Our key takeaway? The use of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker (ACEi/ARB) at discharge has decreased over time, while the use of beta blockers has increased compared to a historical cohort (2001-2010). There was notable variation in medication use at discharge across pediatric hospitals. ACTION continues to establish quality metrics and standardize discharge medication use for newly diagnosed heart failure across centers in order to identify best practices.
This ACTION study was published October 12, 2020 in Pediatric Cardiology. Congratulations to the authors:
- Joseph Stidham and Brian Feingold, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
- Christopher Almond and David Rosenthal, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
- Danielle Burstein, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Angela Lorts and Paige Krack, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
- Kurt Schumacher, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital
- Joseph Spinner and Jack Price, Texas Children’s Hospital
- Justin Godown, Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
CITATION
Stidham J, Feingold B, Almond CS, Burstein DS, Krack P, Price JF, Schumacher KR, Spinner JA, Rosenthal DN, Lorts A, Godown J. Establishing Baseline Metrics of Heart Failure Medication Use in Children: A Collaborative Effort from the ACTION Network. Pediatr Cardiol. 2021 Feb;42(2):315-323. doi: 10.1007/s00246-020-02485-x. Epub 2020 Oct 12. PMID: 33044586.
