Update on randomized clinical trials impacting clinical care in pediatric cardiac intensive care.
Clinical trials addressing the management of infants and children with congenital heart disease are challenged by low numbers of patients with a similar diagnosis (inadequate power), variation in management strategies between institutions (difficulty developing multicentered protocols), a rapidly evolving field (equipoise), and insufficient funding. This article summarizes the challenges and the results of some single-center and multicenter trials evaluating perioperative care of infants and children undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease.
Tabbutt
Sarah
S
Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. tabbutt@email.chop.edu
Ravishankar
Chitra
C
D003422:Critical Care / Q000592:standards*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000592:standards*; D019990:Perioperative Care / Q000592:standards*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000639:trends*