Carvedilol is recommended for chronic heart failure (HF) treatment in children. However, the ideal dosage and administration are not standardized, and data on its long-term effects are lacking. This study aimed to assess the effect of a high dosage regimen of carvedilol on cardiac outcomes in children with HF.
We conducted a retrospective cohort study including all children with HF and dilated cardiomyopathy. We analyzed medical records before starting treatment, at 1 and 3 years after reaching the maximum therapeutic dosage. All data were compared with a historical control group. Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression have been used to evaluate the effect of high dosage carvedilol therapy. The main outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality and heart transplant.
One hundred thirty-five were included in the study and 65 treated with a high dosage of carvedilol regimen (up to 1 mg/kg/day). Heart rate reduction (mean reduction 30%,
Treatment with the high dosage of carvedilol, in addition to standard HF therapy, significantly improves ventricular function and survival in children with dilated cardiomyopathy and chronic HF.