title: The pediatric heart network: meeting the challenges to multicenter studies in pediatric heart disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Because of the relatively small numbers of pediatric patients with congenital heart disease cared for in any individual center, there is a significant need for multicenter clinical studies to validate new medical or surgical therapies. The Pediatric Heart Network (PHN), with 15 years of experience in multicenter clinical research, has tackled numerous challenges when conducting multicenter studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This review describes the challenges encountered and the strategies employed to conduct high-quality, collaborative research in pediatric cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sharing lessons learned from the PHN can provide guidance to investigators interested in conducting pediatric multicenter studies.
authors.affiliation: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Kristin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Victoria L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Pemberton
authors.forename: Gail D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Pearson
mesh_terms: D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000592:standards*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D018579:Patient Selection; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012107:Research Design