Signs of CHF in a 9-month-old may include which of the following?

In a 9-month-old child, signs of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) can manifest in various ways, one of the most critical being capillary refill time. A capillary refill time of 4 seconds is indicative of poor perfusion, often seen in patients with CHF. This delayed refill suggests that the heart is not effectively pumping blood, leading to inadequate blood flow to peripheral tissues.

In children, especially infants, CHF may present subtly but can still significantly impact their overall health. A prolonged capillary refill reflects the body's compensatory mechanisms in response to decreased cardiac output. When evaluating a child for CHF, healthcare professionals closely monitor signs of impaired circulation, and capillary refill time is a vital component of this assessment.

The other options are not typically associated with CHF in young children. Elevated temperature can indicate an infection or another inflammatory process rather than heart failure. Increased appetite is generally a positive sign, and in the context of CHF, children may actually exhibit decreased appetite due to their condition. Hyperactivity is also not characteristic; instead, children with significant CHF often exhibit lethargy or decreased activity levels as a manifestation of their limited cardiac function.