  Congestive Heart Failure, or CHF, is a serious medical condition that can
result in fluid buildup in the body as a result of a weak heart. When the heart
can't pump enough blood to efficiently deliver nutrients and oxygen to the
body, kidney function may be impaired, resulting in fluid retention. CHF
patients require a broad drug regimen to maintain the delicate system balance,
particularly between their heart and kidneys. These drugs include ACE
inhibitors and Beta Blockers to control blood pressure, anticoagulants to
prevent blood clots, and diuretics to reduce fluid overload. Many of these
drugs may interact, and potential effects of these interactions must be weighed
against their benefits. For this project, we consider a set of 44 drugs
identified as specifically relevant for treating CHF by pediatric cardiologists
at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. This list was generated as part of our
current work at the LPCH Heart Center. The goal of this project is to identify
and evaluate potentially harmful drug-drug interactions (DDIs) within pediatric
patients with Congestive Heart Failure. This identification will be done
autonomously, so that it may continuously update by evaluating newly published
literature.
