OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the consultations referred to the pediatric cardiology, in order to improve the quality of cardiac care in children.
Setting: Pediatric cardiology clinic, at Queen Alia Heart Institute and King Abdullah University Hospital.
Patients and Methods : This is a prospective study conducted over a one year period from the first of May 2008to the first of May 2009.All patients included in the study were referred by the pediatricians for further evaluation.Cardiac evaluation were done by cardiologist and included: clinical assessment in addition to noninvasive and invasive diagnostic tests whenever indicated.
Patients’ data and results of consultations were obtained and tabulated by the sites of referral and indications. The data then were sutabulated by the diagnosis.
Result: A total of 1864 consults were seen over the study period: 725 (38.9%) from the pediatric ward, 763(40.9%) from the pediatric clinics, 314(16.8%) from the nursery, and 62(3.3%) consults from the pediatric intensive care unit.
The most common indications for consultations were: heart murmur (368/1864:19.7%), inter current illnesses of cardiac patients (289/1864:15.5%), cyanosis (277/1864:14.9%), assessment of the ventricular function (165/1864:8.9%) and respiratory symptoms (159/1864:8.5%).
Conclusion: A wide spectrum of clinical problems which needed a cardiology opinion have been addressed .There were certain clinical conditions encountered more frequently and should be given emphasis in curricula developed for pediatric residency training program, especially how to elicit cardiac findings accurately.
Key words: Consultation, cardiac, cyanosis, arrhythmias
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