Características radiográficas de la neumonía adquirida en la comunidad en el adulto inmunocompetente hospitalizado según el agente causal / Radiographic characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia in the immunocompetent adult hospitalized according to the etiologic agent

Resumen En la práctica clínica, la radiografía de tórax permite confirmar el diagnóstico y la extensión de la neumonía adquirida en la comunidad (NAC). Objetivos: Examinar las características radiográficas de la NAC según el agente causal y el grado de concordancia interobservador (CI) en la descripción de los hallazgos radiográficos. Métodos: Se evaluaron las radiografías de tórax de 300 pacientes adultos inmunocompetentes hospitalizados por NAC, tres residentes de radiología consignaron el patrón de los infiltrados pulmonares, su localización anatómica y extensión, la presencia de derrame pleural y otros hallazgos radiográficos. Se realizaron cultivos de esputo, hemocultivos, pruebas serológicas y técnicas de biología molecular de hisopado nasofaríngeo para identificar los principales patógenos respiratorios. Resultados: Las manifestaciones clínicas y los hallazgos de la radiografía de tórax fueron similares en las neumonías causadas por diferentes patógenos respiratorios: bacterias clásicas, virus respiratorios y microorganismos atípicos. En las neumonías bacterianas predominó el patrón de relleno alveolar de distribución lobar, en las neumonías vírales y atípicas predominó el patrón intersticial o mixto alvéolo-intersticial con opacidades en vidrio esmerilado. La CI fue satisfactoria (kappa > 0,6) para determinar el patrón principal de los infiltrados pulmonares, su localización anatómica y la presencia de derrame pleural, su localización y extensión. La CI fue moderada (kappa 0,4-0,6) para definir la extensión de la neumonía y detectar signos radiológicos asociados a congestión pulmonar. Conclusión: Los hallazgos de la radiografía de tórax no permitieron identificar con precisión el agente causal de la neumonía, siendo útil en la caracterización de los infiltrados pulmonares y para detectar complicaciones como el derrame paraneumónico.

In a clinical setting the chest radiograph is the reference standard in establishing the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Objectives: This study aimed to assess interobserver reliability (IR) of radiographic findings and the relationship to different respiratory pathogens in CAP. Methods: Chest radiographs of 300 immunocompetent adult patients hospitalized with pneumonia, obtained from a database, were reviewed by three residents of radiology without specific clinical information. Main pattern of pulmonary infiltrates, topographic localization, extent of pneumonia, presence of pleural fluid, thickened bronchial walls, lymphadenopathy and air bronchogram were scored. Sputum and blood cultures, serological tests and nasopharyngeal swab for respiratory virus detection by molecular diagnostic techniques were performed to identify the causative pathogen. Results: Clinical manifestations and chest X-ray findings were similar in pneumonias caused by different respiratory pathogens: classic bacteria, respiratory viruses and atypical microorganisms. The alveolar pattern of lobar distribution predominated in bacterial pneumonia; meanwhile, interstitial or mixed alveolar-interstitial pattern with ground glass opacities predominated in viral and atypical pneumonias. IR was fair to good (kappa > 0.6) for determining the main pattern of infiltrates, anatomical location and the presence of pleural effusion, their anatomical location and extension. IR was moderate (kappa 0.4-0.6) for determining the extent of pneumonia and signs of congestive heart failure. Conclusion: Simple features such as main pattern description, anatomical location, identifying the involved lobes and pleural fluid recognition showed fair to excellent interobserver reliability. Chest radiographs was of limited value in predicting the causative pathogen but were of beneficial use to characterize pulmonary infiltrates and to detect complications such as parapneumonic effusion.

Early clinical and CT features of COVID-19 and community-acquired pneumonia from a fever observation ward in Ningbo, China

INTRODUCTION@#We aimed to compare the early clinical manifestations, laboratory results and chest computed tomography (CT) images of COVID-19 patients with those of other community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients to differentiate CAP from COVID-19 before reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results are obtained.@*METHODS@#The clinical and laboratory data and chest CT images of 51 patients were assessed in a fever observation ward for evidence of COVID-19 between January and February 2020.@*RESULTS@#24 patients had laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, whereas 27 individuals had negative results. No statistical difference in clinical features was found between COVID-19 and CAP patients, except for diarrhoea. There was a significant difference in lymphocyte and eosinophil counts between COVID-19 and CAP patients. In total, 22 (91.67%) COVID-19 patients had bilateral involvement and multiple lesions according to their lung CT images; the left lower lobe (87.50%) and right lower lobe (95.83%) were affected most often, and all lesions were located in the peripheral zones of the lung. The most common CT feature of COVID-19 was ground-glass opacity, found in 95.83% of patients, compared to 66.67% of CAP patients.@*CONCLUSION@#Diarrhoea, lymphocyte counts, eosinophil counts and CT findings (e.g. ground-glass opacity) could help to distinguish COVID-19 from CAP at an early stage of infection, based on findings from our fever observation ward.

Point-of-care ultrasound by the pediatrician in the diagnosis and follow-up of community-acquired pneumonia

Abstract Objectives: To review, analyze, and present the available evidence on the usefulness of point-of-care pulmonary ultrasound in the diagnosis and monitoring of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), aiming to facilitate its potential inclusion into pediatric clinical reference guidelines. Source of data: A non-systematic research was carried out in the MEDLINE (PubMed), LILACS, and SciELO databases, from January 1985 to September 2019. The articles that were considered the most relevant were selected. Synthesis of data: CAP is a relevant cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatrics and its clinical management remains a major challenge. The systematic use of chest X-ray for its diagnosis is controversial because it exposes the child to ionizing radiation and there are interobserver differences in its interpretation. Recently, the use of point-of-care pulmonary ultrasound by the pediatrician has been presented as an alternative for the diagnosis and monitoring of CAP. A great deal of evidence has disclosed its high sensitivity and diagnostic specificity, with the advantages of no ionizing radiation, relatively low cost, immediate results, portability, and the possibility of repetition according to the requirements of disease evolution. Moreover, its use can help rule out possible bacterial etiology and thus prevent inappropriate antibiotic treatments that favor bacterial resistance. Conclusions: Point-of-care ultrasonography represents an opportunity to improve the diagnosis and monitoring of CAP. However, as an operator-dependent technique, training is required for adequate image acquisition, correct interpretation, and integration with clinical data for correct decision-making.

An Insight of the First Community Infected COVID-19 Patient in Beijing by Imported Case: Role of Deep Learning-Assisted CT Diagnosis / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

In the era of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, imported COVID-19 cases pose great challenges to many countries. Chest CT examination is considered to be complementary to nucleic acid test for COVID-19 detection and diagnosis. We report the first community infected COVID-19 patient by an imported case in Beijing, which manifested as nodular lesions on chest CT imaging at the early stage. Deep Learning (DL)-based diagnostic systems quantitatively monitored the progress of pulmonary lesions in 6 days and timely made alert for suspected pneumonia, so that prompt medical isolation was taken. The patient was confirmed as COVID-19 case after nucleic acid test, for which the community transmission was prevented timely. The roles of DL-assisted diagnosis in helping radiologists screening suspected COVID cases were discussed.

2018 recommendations for the management of community acquired pneumonia / Recomendações para o manejo da pneumonia adquirida na comunidade 2018

ABSTRACT Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Despite the vast diversity of respiratory microbiota, Streptococcus pneumoniae remains the most prevalent pathogen among etiologic agents. Despite the significant decrease in the mortality rates for lower respiratory tract infections in recent decades, CAP ranks third as a cause of death in Brazil. Since the latest Guidelines on CAP from the Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia (SBPT, Brazilian Thoracic Association) were published (2009), there have been major advances in the application of imaging tests, in etiologic investigation, in risk stratification at admission and prognostic score stratification, in the use of biomarkers, and in the recommendations for antibiotic therapy (and its duration) and prevention through vaccination. To review these topics, the SBPT Committee on Respiratory Infections summoned 13 members with recognized experience in CAP in Brazil who identified issues relevant to clinical practice that require updates given the publication of new epidemiological and scientific evidence. Twelve topics concerning diagnostic, prognostic, therapeutic, and preventive issues were developed. The topics were divided among the authors, who conducted a nonsystematic review of the literature, but giving priority to major publications in the specific areas, including original articles, review articles, and systematic reviews. All authors had the opportunity to review and comment on all questions, producing a single final document that was approved by consensus.

RESUMO A pneumonia adquirida na comunidade (PAC) constitui a principal causa de morte no mundo. Apesar da vasta microbiota respiratória, o Streptococcus pneumoniae permanece como a bactéria de maior prevalência dentre os agentes etiológicos. Apesar da redução significativa das taxas de mortalidade por infecções do trato respiratório inferior nas últimas décadas, a PAC ocupa o terceiro lugar como causa de mortalidade em nosso meio. Desde a última publicação das Diretrizes Brasileiras sobre PAC da Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia (SBPT; 2009), houve importantes avanços na aplicação dos exames de imagem, na investigação etiológica, na estratificação de risco à admissão e de escores prognósticos evolutivos, no uso de biomarcadores e nas recomendações de antibioticoterapia (e sua duração) e da prevenção por vacinas. Para revisar esses tópicos, a Comissão de Infecções Respiratórias da SBPT reuniu 13 membros com reconhecida experiência em PAC no Brasil que identificaram aspectos relevantes à prática clínica que demandam atualizações frente às novas evidências epidemiológicas e científicas publicadas. Foram determinados doze tópicos envolvendo aspectos diagnósticos, prognósticos, terapêuticos e preventivos. Os tópicos foram divididos entre os autores, que realizaram uma revisão de forma não sistemática da literatura, porém priorizando as principais publicações nas áreas específicas, incluindo artigos originais, artigos de revisão e revisões sistemáticas. Todos os autores tiveram a oportunidade de revisar e opinar sobre todas as questões, criando um documento único final que foi aprovado por consenso.

Infection by Streptococcus pneumoniae in children with or without radiologically confirmed pneumonia / Infecção por Streptococcus pneumoniae em crianças com ou sem pneumonia radiologicamente confirmada

Abstract Objective: Community-acquired pneumonia is an important cause of morbidity in childhood, but the detection of its causative agent remains a diagnostic challenge. The authors aimed to evaluate the role of the chest radiograph to identify cases of community-aquired pneumonia caused by typical bacteria. Methods: The frequency of infection by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis was compared in non-hospitalized children with clinical diagnosis of community acquired pneumonia aged 2-59 months with or without radiological confirmation (n = 249 and 366, respectively). Infection by S. pneumoniae was diagnosed by the detection of a serological response against at least one of eight pneumococcal proteins (defined as an increase ≥2-fold in the IgG levels against Ply, CbpA, PspA1 and PspA2, PhtD, StkP-C, and PcsB-N, or an increase ≥1.5-fold against PcpA). Infection by H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis was defined as an increase ≥2-fold on the levels of microbe-specific IgG. Results: Children with radiologically confirmed pneumonia had higher rates of infection by S. pneumoniae. The presence of pneumococcal infection increased the odds of having radiologically confirmed pneumonia by 2.8 times (95% CI: 1.8-4.3). The negative predictive value of the normal chest radiograph for infection by S. pneumoniae was 86.3% (95% CI: 82.4-89.7%). There was no difference on the rates of infection by H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis between children with community-acquired pneumonia with and without radiological confirmation. Conclusions: Among children with clinical diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia submitted to chest radiograph, those with radiologically confirmed pneumonia present a higher rate of infection by S. pneumoniae when compared with those with a normal chest radiograph.

Resumo Objetivo: Avaliar o papel do raios X de tórax na identificação de casos de pneumonia adquirida na comunidade (PAC) causada por agentes bacterianos. Métodos: A frequência de infecção por Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae e Moraxella catarrhalis em crianças com PAC não hospitalizadas foi comparada com a presença de confirmação radiológica da pneumonia (n = 249 crianças com pneumonia radiologicamente confirmada e 366 crianças com raios X de tórax normal). Infecção por S. pneumoniae foi diagnosticada com base na resposta sorológica a pelo menos uma dentre oito proteínas pneumocócicas investigadas (aumento ≥ 2 vezes nos níveis de IgG em relação a Ply, CbpA, PspA1 e 2, PhtD, StkP-C e PcsB-N ou aumento≥ 1,5 vez em relação aPcpA). Infecção por H. influenzae e M. catarrhalis foi definida por aumento ≥ 2 vezes nos níveis de IgG específica a antígenos de cada agente. Resultados: Crianças com pneumonia radiologicamente confirmada apresentaram maior taxa de infecção pelo pneumococo. Além disso, a presença de infecção pneumocócica foi um fator preditor de pneumonia radiologicamente confirmada, o que aumenta sua chance de detecção em 2,8 vezes (IC 95%: 1,8-4,3). O valor preditivo negativo do raios X normal para a infecção por S. pneumoniae foi 86,3% (IC95%: 82,4%-89,7%). Não houve diferença nas frequências de infecção por H. influenzae e M. catarrhalis entre crianças com PAC com ou sem confirmação radiológica. Conclusão: Crianças com diagnóstico clínico de PAC submetidas a um raios X de tórax que apresentam confirmação radiológica têm maior taxa de infecção por S. pneumoniae comparadas com as crianças com raios X normal.

Diagnóstico clínico-radiológico de la neumonía del adulto adquirida en la comunidad / Clinical andradiiological diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia in adults

Community acquired pneumonia in adults is an acute disease characterized by worsening in general conditions, fever, chills, cough, mucopurulent sputum and dyspnea; associated with tachycardia, tachypnea, fever and focal signs in pulmonary examination. The probability of pneumonia in a patient with acute respiratory symptoms depends on the disease prevalence in the environment where it is acquired and on clinical features. It is estimated that pneumonia prevalence is 3-5% in patients with respiratory disease seen in outpatient facilities. Clinical diagnosis of pneumonia without radiological confirmation lacks specificity because clinical presentation (history and physical examination) does not allow to differentiate pneumonia from other acute respiratory diseases (upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, influenza). Diagnosis must be based in clinical-radiological findings: clinical history and physical examination suggest the presence of pulmonary infection but accurate diagnosis is established when chest X ray confirms the existence of pulmonary infiltrates. Clinical findings and chest X ray do not permit to predict with certainty the etiology of pulmonary infection. Radiology is useful to confirm clinical suspicion, it establishes pneumonia location, its extension and severity; furthermore, it allows differentiation between pneumonia and other diseases, to detect possible complications, and may be useful in follow up of high risk patients. The resolution of radiological infiltrates often ensues several weeks or months after clinical recovery, especially in the elderly and in multilobar pneumonia cared for in intensive care units.

La neumonía del adulto adquirida en la comunidad es un cuadro de evolución aguda, caracterizado por compromiso del estado general, fiebre, calofríos, tos, expectoración mucopurulenta y dificultad respiratoria; asociado en el examen físico a taquicardia, taquipnea, fiebre y signos focales en el examen pulmonar. La probabilidad que un paciente con síntomas respiratorios agudos tenga una neumonía depende de la prevalencia de la enfermedad en el ambiente donde se presenta y de las manifestaciones clínicas del enfermo. Se estima que la prevalencia de neumonía en los servicios de atención ambulatoria corresponde a 3-5% de las consultas por patología respiratoria. El diagnóstico clínico de neumonía sin confirmación radiográfica carece de precisión ya que el cuadro clínico (historia y examen físico) no permite diferenciar con certeza al paciente con neumonía de otras condiciones respiratorias agudas (infecciones de la vía aérea superior, bronquitis, influenza). El diagnóstico de neumonía es clínico-radiográfico: la historia y examen físico sugieren la presencia de una infección pulmonar, pero el diagnóstico de certeza se establece cuando se confirma la presencia de infiltrados pulmonares en la radiografía de tórax. El cuadro clínico y los hallazgos de la radiografía de tórax no permiten predecir con certeza el agente etiológico de la infección pulmonar. La radiografía de tórax permite confirmar el diagnóstico clínico, establecer su localización, extensión y gravedad; además permite diferenciar la neumonía de otras patologías, detectar posibles complicaciones, y puede ser útil en el seguimiento de los pacientes de alto riesgo. La resolución de los infiltrados radiográficos a menudo ocurre varias semanas o meses después de la mejoría clínica, especialmente en el anciano y en la neumonía multilobar manejada en la UCI.