Development of parapneumonic empyema in children
Aim: The aim of the study was to find clinical predictors for parapneumonic empyema in children. Methods: Thirty‐seven children treated for parapneumonic empyema at the Department of Pediatrics, Turku University Hospital, were retrospectively evaluated. Two distinct comparison groups of children wit...
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Published in | Acta Paediatrica Vol. 96; no. 11; pp. 1686 - 1692 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Oxford, UK
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
01.11.2007
Blackwell |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Aim: The aim of the study was to find clinical predictors for parapneumonic empyema in children.
Methods: Thirty‐seven children treated for parapneumonic empyema at the Department of Pediatrics, Turku University Hospital, were retrospectively evaluated. Two distinct comparison groups of children with uncomplicated community‐acquired pneumonia with alveolar consolidation (n = 37 in both groups) were included. Clinical and laboratory data on admission as well as fever kinetics and inflammatory markers during hospitalization were analyzed.
Results: In a multivariate analysis, a history of prolonged fever, tachypnoea and pain on abdominal palpation on admission were the most significant clinical predictors for empyema. On admission, serum C‐reactive protein levels were higher among children with empyema than among those with uncomplicated pneumonia (means, 234 mg/L vs. 178 mg/L; p = 0.037). During hospitalization, prolonged fever and persistence of high serum C‐reactive protein levels were associated with empyema. At the initial evaluation, pleural fluid was not reported in 35% of children with empyema.
Conclusions: Early recognition of developing empyema is challenging. Children with pneumonia presenting with prolonged fever, tachypnoea, pain on abdominal palpation and high serum C‐reactive protein levels are at risk for parapneumonic empyema. |
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Bibliography: | ArticleID:APA511 ark:/67375/WNG-V8HSSS8J-7 istex:0813B562C8370B28BC3E7A78AAFF7C4F1EA3134A ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0803-5253 1651-2227 |
DOI: | 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2007.00511.x |