Pediatric Cardiac Function Staging and Management Recommendations

Bo Pan; Ling Han; Jianxin Zhuang; Xing Shen; Chenggang Mao; Yao Lin; Jindou An; Huili Zhang; Chunhong Xie; Yanmin Zhang; Li Zhang; Ying Guo; Yanyan Xiao; Shiwei Yang; Lei Zhang; Yue Yuan; Ling Sun; Zhi Chen; Wenhong Ding; Yifei Li; Zipu Li; Jie Tian

doi:10.1002/pdi3.70063

Pediatric Discovery ›› 2026, Vol. 4 ›› Issue (2) :e70063 DOI: 10.1002/pdi3.70063

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Pediatric Cardiac Function Staging and Management Recommendations

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¹. Department of Cardiology, National Clinical Key Cardiovascular Specialty, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Children and Adolescents' Health and Diseases, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Key Laboratory of Children's Important Organ Development and Diseases of Chongqing Municipal Health Commission, Chongqing, China

². Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

³. Department of Pediatrics, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China

⁴. Department of Pediatrics, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Gansu, China

⁵. Department of Pediatrics, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China

⁶. Department of Cardiology, Capital Center for Children's Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

⁷. Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Henan Medical College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China

⁸. Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Centre, Fuwai Hospital, National Centre for Cardiovascular Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China

⁹. Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

¹⁰. Department of Cardiology, Xi'an Children's Hospital, Affiliated Children's Hospital of Xi'an JiaoTong University, Xi'an, Shanxi, China

¹¹. Department of Cardiology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

¹². Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

¹³. Department of Cardiology, Cardiac Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

¹⁴. Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

¹⁵. Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

¹⁶. Department of Cardiology, Hunan Children's Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China

¹⁷. Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children of MOE, Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

¹⁸. Heart Center, Qingdao Women and Children's Hospital, Qingdao, Shandong, China

apuqd@sina.com

jietian@cqmu.edu.cn

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Abstract

The global prevalence of heart failure in children continues to increase, accompanied by a growing disease burden. To advance early prevention and intervention by shifting the focus upstream in the disease process, the Cardiovascular Group of the Pediatrics Society of the Chinese Medical Association has introduced the concept of pediatric cardiac function staging applicable to all children. This framework categorizes pediatric cardiac function into three distinct stages: the stage of cardiac function sufficiency (Stage A), the stage of cardiac dysfunction (Stage B), and the stage of cardiac function failure (Stage C). Based on this staging system, the diagnostic criteria and management strategies for each stage are delineated, with the aim of establishing a comprehensive management pathway rooted in cardiac function staging. This approach seeks to further reduce the incidence and burden of pediatric heart failure, providing a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for achieving the goal of making pediatric heart failure preventable, manageable, and treatable.

Keywords

cardiac function / pediatric heart failure / staging

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Bo Pan, Ling Han, Jianxin Zhuang, Xing Shen, Chenggang Mao, Yao Lin, Jindou An, Huili Zhang, Chunhong Xie, Yanmin Zhang, Li Zhang, Ying Guo, Yanyan Xiao, Shiwei Yang, Lei Zhang, Yue Yuan, Ling Sun, Zhi Chen, Wenhong Ding, Yifei Li, Zipu Li, Jie Tian. Pediatric Cardiac Function Staging and Management Recommendations. Pediatric Discovery, 2026, 4 (2) : e70063 DOI:10.1002/pdi3.70063

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2026 The Author(s). Pediatric Discovery published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.