Pleural tuberculosis: experiences from two centers in Brazil

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to describe the clinical and laboratory findings of patients diagnosed with pleural tuberculosis at two hospitals in southern Brazil. Methods: Patients aged < 18 years were evaluated retrospectively. The patients' medical and epidemiological history, tuberculin skin test results, radiological and pathological findings, and pleural fluid analysis results were retrieved. Results: Ninety-two patients with pleural tuberculosis were identified. The mean age was 10.9 years old. Twenty-one percent were children aged six years or less. The most common symptoms were fever (88%), cough (72%), and chest pain (70%). Unilateral pleural effusion was observed in 96% of the cases. Lymphocyte predominance was found in 90% of the pleural fluid samples. The adenosine deaminase activity of the pleural fluid was greater than 40 U/L in 85% of patients. A diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia with antibiotic prescriptions was observed in 76% of the study population. Conclusions: Tuberculosis etiology must be considered in unilateral pleural effusion in a child with contact with a case of tuberculosis. Pleural fluid biomarkers contribute to the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis in children and adolescents.

Performance of the quantification of adenosine deaminase and determination of the lactate dehydrogenase/adenosine deaminase ratio for the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis in children and adolescents / Desempenho da quantificação de adenosina desaminase e determinação da relação lactato desidrogenase/adenosina desaminase para o diagnóstico de tuberculose pleural em crianças e adolescentes

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of determining the adenosine deaminase (ADA) level, the 2'-deoxyadenosine/ADA ratio, and the LDH/ADA ratio in pleural fluid for the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis (PT) in children and adolescents. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary hospital in a high-tuberculosis-incidence area, between 2001 and 2018. All patients with ADA in pleural fluid and a confirmed diagnosis of PT (cPT) or parapneumonic effusion (PPE) were included. Results: The cPT and PPE groups comprised 25 and 68 individuals, respectively. At a cutoff of 40 U/L, ADA measurement showed the following: sensitivity, 88%; specificity, 31%; positive predictive value (PPV), 32%; negative predictive value (NPV), 88%; and overall accuracy, 46%. The best cutoffs were an ADA level of 125 U/L, a 2'-deoxyadenosine/ADA ratio of 0.5, and an LDH/ADA ratio of 8.3, with AUC of 0.67, 0.75, and 0.82, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and overall accuracy of the 125 U/L ADA cutoff were 84%, 65%, 47%, 92%, and 70%, respectively, compared with 79%, 79%, 59%, 91%, and 79%, respectively, for the 8.3 LDH/ADA ratio cutoff. Changing the LDH/ADA ratio cutoff to 3.0 increased the specificity to 98%. Conclusions: The ADA level and the 2'-deoxyadenosine/ADA ratio are not good biomarkers for the diagnosis of PT in pediatric patients. Determination of the LDH/ADA ratio provides the best overall accuracy for the diagnosis of PT in such patients.

RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar a acurácia da determinação do nível de adenosina desaminase (ADA), da relação 2'-desoxiadenosina/ADA e da relação LDH/ADA no líquido pleural para o diagnóstico de tuberculose pleural (TP) em crianças e adolescentes. Métodos: Estudo transversal retrospectivo realizado em um hospital terciário em uma área de alta incidência de tuberculose entre 2001 e 2018. Todos os pacientes com determinação de ADA no líquido pleural e com diagnóstico confirmado de TP (TPc) ou de derrame parapneumônico (DPP) foram incluídos. Resultados: Os grupos TPc e DPP foram compostos por 25 e 68 indivíduos, respectivamente. Num ponto de corte de 40 U/L, a medida de ADA mostrou o seguinte: sensibilidade, 88%; especificidade, 31%; valor preditivo positivo (VPP), 32%; valor preditivo negativo (VPN), 88%; e acurácia geral, 46%. Os melhores pontos de corte foram ADA de 125 U/L, relação 2'-desoxiadenosina/ADA de 0,5 e relação LDH/ADA de 8,3, com ASC de 0,67, 0,75 e 0,82, respectivamente. A sensibilidade, especificidade, VPP, VPN e acurácia geral do ponto de corte de 125 U/L para ADA foram de 84%, 65%, 47%, 92% e 70%, respectivamente, em comparação com 79%, 79%, 59%, 91% e 79%, respectivamente, para o ponto de corte de 8,3 para a relação LDH/ADA. Ao alterar o ponto de corte da relação LDH/ADA para 3,0 a especificidade aumentou para 98%. Conclusões: O nível de ADA e a relação 2'-desoxiadenosina/ADA não são bons biomarcadores para o diagnóstico de PT em pacientes pediátricos. A determinação da relação LDH/ADA fornece a melhor acurácia geral para o diagnóstico de PT nesses pacientes.

Trabalho em equipe na área da saúde / Teamwork in health care

Médicos, enfermeiros e outros profissionais de saúde passam boa parte do tempo se comunicando e coordenando atividades de cuidado. Apesar disso, o treinamento em habilidades de comunicação interpessoal e de trabalho em equipe tem sido historicamente pouco enfatizado. O principal objetivo do trabalho em equipe é melhorar os desfechos no cuidado ao paciente. A necessidade de trabalhar em equipe vem sendo cada vez mais frequente no cuidado à saúde. Assim, é relevante conhecer os elementos fundamentais para o seu bom funcionamento, assim como os principais fatores com potencial de prejudicá-lo. Neste artigo, os seguintes tópicos serão discutidos: classificação das equipes de cuidado à saúde; princípios determinantes para o sucesso das equipes; e as principais barreiras que podem comprometer seu funcionamento. Existe um reconhecimento crescente sobre a importância do trabalho em equipe (em oposição ao rígido gerenciamento hierárquico) no cuidado ao paciente. A resistência à mudança nos métodos de trabalho imposta pela tradição de décadas deve ser enfrentada por meio de um processo educacional, de forma que este artigo visa a contribuir para essa finalidade. (AU)

Physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals spend a great amount of time communicating and coordinating care activities. Nevertheless, interpersonal communication and teamwork skills have been historically underemphasized in professional training. The ultimate goal of teamwork efforts is to improve patient care outcomes. The need for interdisciplinary teamwork has been increasing in the health care setting. Thus, the main attributes needed in a good interdisciplinary team should be known, as well as the factors that could lead to a poor team performance. In this study, we discuss the definition and classification of teamwork in health care, the fundamental principles for successful teamwork, and the main barriers to effective teamwork. The importance of teamwork has been increasingly recognized in health care. However, decades of tradition have hindered changes in the way health care is provided, and educational processes should be used as an approach to deal with this situation. The present study intends to contribute to this purpose. (AU)

Case report of acquired pyroglutamic acidemia in a pediatric patient

Pyroglutamic acid (also known as 5-oxoproline) is an organic acid intermediate of the gamma-glutamyl cycle. Accumulation of pyroglutamic acid is a rare cause of high anion gap metabolic acidosis. In the pediatric population, the congenital form of pyroglutamic acidemia has been extensively described. However, there are scarce reports of the acquired form of this condition in children. The urine test for organic acids confirms the diagnosis of pyroglutamic acidemia. We report the case of a 16-month-old girl who developed transient 5-oxoprolinemia associated with malnutrition and the use of acetaminophen and ampicillin for the treatment of acute otitis media and abdominal pain. The patient received 21-hour course of n-acetylcysteine with improvement of metabolic acidosis. This report highligts the need of considering pyroglutamic acidemia in the differencial diagnosis for high anion gap metabolic acidosis in pediatric patients with malnutrition and other risk factors...