Growing numbers of children with heart failure are reaching adulthood because of successful medical and surgical treatments and improved outcomes of congenital heart surgery. A greater understanding of the causes of heart failure in childhood may help cardiologists to develop therapeutic strategies for these children when they become adults. Also, given the recent explosion of research in cardiogenetics, it's possible that discoveries in the field of pediatric cardiovascular disease may also benefit adults with heart failure. For these reasons, heart failure specialists need to be updated about pediatric heart failure.