Handbook of Pediatric Cardiovascular Drugs

The treatment of pediatric patients with congenital or acquired cardiac disease remains an important challenge for physicians in charge of these often p- carious patients. It is well known that most of the drugs used in this field are either unlicensed or off-label. We have to face a very heterogeneous group of patients not only in pathologies but also in size, weight, and metabolism, p- ticularly when we face problems in premature or newborns. Not only have very few studies offered evidenced-based data for our pediatric patients, but even simple pharmacokinetics data are lacking. This is, to a great extent, caused by the difficulties of conducting research in pediatrics, particularly large-scale double-blinded randomized and controlled studies. This may change in the close future as authorities throughout the world have clearly stated that they will support this type of study. However, for the time being, we must rely on the available pharmacological knowledge, on the rare clinical trials and case series, and, most of all, on the international cumulative clinical experience. This comprehensive handbook on pediatric cardiovascular drugs offers a wide source of useful information for specialists in different fields, such as pediatricians, pediatric cardiologists, intensivists, neonatologists, anesthe- ologists, cardiac surgeons, nurses, and others involved in the management of cardiovascular disorders. It presents the updated knowledge and experience regarding the use of the currently available therapies for pediatric patients with primary or secondary cardiac and circulatory disorders.