Analysis of the causal factors of the nursing diagnosis of ineffective breathing pattern in children with congenital heart disease.

Purpose: To analyze the causal factors of the nursing diagnosis of ineffective breathing pattern (IBP) in children with congenital heart disease.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in a tertiary hospital located in northeastern Brazil. Our sample was composed of 340 children with congenital heart disease. The latent class model with adjusted random effects determined the IBP. Univariate logistic regression analysis was performed for each IBP nursing diagnosis causal factor.
Results: The analysis of etiological factors for the nursing diagnosis of IBP in children with congenital heart disease revealed a high prevalence of all causal factors investigated. The causal factors with the greatest impact on the occurrence of IBP were body position that inhibits pulmonary expansion; physical effort; pain; age less than two years; increased resistance to air passages; and reduced pulmonary compliance.
Conclusions: The occurrence of causal factors, body position that inhibits pulmonary expansion, physical effort, pain and age less than two years increases the chance of IBP nursing diagnosis in children with congenital heart disease.
Implications to Practice: The results obtained in this investigation can guide pediatric nurses in making diagnostic decisions, as identifying the causal factors that trigger or potentiate IBP in children with congenital heart disease allows nurses to intervene early, facilitating the maintenance of breathing patterns.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The author(s) declared no potential conflict of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
(Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)