Differences in children and adolescents with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a cohort study in a Brazilian tertiary referral hospital

OBJECTIVES: To compare demographic/clinical/laboratory/treatments and outcomes among children and adolescents with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that included patients diagnosed with pediatric COVID-19 (aged <18 years) between April 11, 2020 and April 22, 2021. During this period, 102/5,951 (1.7%) of all admissions occurred in neonates, children, and adolescents. Furthermore, 3,962 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection samples were processed in patients aged <18 years, and laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 occurred in 155 (4%) inpatients and outpatients. Six/155 pediatric patients were excluded from the study. Therefore, the final group included 149 children and adolescents (n=97 inpatients and 52 outpatients) with positive SARS-CoV-2 results. RESULTS: The frequencies of sore throat, anosmia, dysgeusia, headache, myalgia, nausea, lymphopenia, pre-existing chronic conditions, immunosuppressive conditions, and autoimmune diseases were significantly reduced in children and adolescents (p<0.05). Likewise, the frequencies of enoxaparin use (p=0.037), current immunosuppressant use (p=0.008), vasoactive agents (p=0.045), arterial hypotension (p<0.001), and shock (p=0.024) were significantly lower in children than in adolescents. Logistic regression analysis showed that adolescents with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 had increased odds ratios (ORs) for sore throat (OR 13.054; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.750-61.977; p=0.001), nausea (OR 8.875; 95% CI 1.660-47.446; p=0.011), and lymphopenia (OR 3.575; 95% CI 1.355-9.430; p=0.010), but also had less hospitalizations (OR 0.355; 95% CI 0.138-0.916; p=0.032). The additional logistic regression analysis on patients with preexisting chronic conditions (n=108) showed that death as an outcome was significantly associated with pediatric severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) (OR 22.300; 95% CI 2.341-212.421; p=0.007) and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) (OR 11.261; 95% CI 1.189-106. 581; p=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Half of the laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases occurred in adolescents. Individuals belonging to this age group had an acute systemic involvement of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Pediatric SARS and MIS-C were the most important factors associated with the mortality rate in pediatric chronic conditions with COVID-19.

Diagnóstico pré-natal de agenesia da valva pulmonar com tetralogia de Fallot / Prenatal diagnosis of absent pulmonary valve with tetralogy of Fallot

A agenesia da valva pulmonar é uma entidade rara e definida pela ausência total ou parcial dos folhetos da valva pulmonar, sendo a forma mais comum associada com tetralogia de Fallot. É considerada malformação grave com alta mortalidade perinatal. Neste artigo relatamos o caso de um feto com agenesia da valva pulmonar com tetralogia de Fallot diagnosticado ao ecocardiograma fetal realizado com 22 e 26 semanas de geração e sua evolução. O diagnóstico pré-natal foi confirmado após o nascimento. O recé-nascido progrediu bem inicialmente, porém evoluiu com desconforto respiratório, decorrente de atelectasia pulmonar por compressão do brônquio pela artéria pulmonar dilatada...

Correção de ectopia cordis e onfalocele em recém-nascido: relato de caso operado com sucesso / Neonatal correction of ectopia cordis and onphalocele: successful case report

Recém-nascido, sexo feminino, com diagnóstico de ectopia cordis e onfalocele; realizada cesariana e com 6 horas correção da parede abdominal e da ectopia cordis. Evoluiu com grave instabilidade hemodinâmica, sendo reoperada para liberação dos pontos do esterno. Apresentou melhora progressiva, extubação no 15º e alta no 40º dia. Aos oito meses foi reinternada para fechamento do esterno e reconstrução abdominal (neoonfaloplastia). Houve boa evolução, com alta no 5º dia. Com 4 anos de evolução, encontra-se assintomática, sem medicações ou restrições físicas.

Endomiocardiofibrose em lactente / Endomyocardial fibrosis in infancy

The patient was a 4-month-old infant, who underwent persistent ductus arteriosus interruption with titanium clips at the age of 13 days and, since the age of 2 months, had crises of hypoxia and hypertonicity. After clinical investigation, the presence of pulmonary hypertension was confirmed and left ventricular inflow tract obstruction was suspected. The patient underwent surgical treatment at the age of 4 months, during which right and left ventricular endocardial fibrosis was identified. The fibrosis was resected, but the infant had an unfavorable clinical evolution with significant diastolic restriction and died on the sixth postoperative day. Anatomicopathological and surgical findings suggested endomyocardial fibrosis, although that pathology is very rare at the patient's age

Pediatric cardiac postoperative care

The Heart Institute of the University of Säo Paulo, Medical School is a referral center for the treatment of congenital heart diseases of neonates and infants. In the recent years, the excellent surgical results obtained in our institution may be in part due to modern anesthetic care and to postoperative care based on well-structured protocols. The purpose of this article is to review unique aspects of neonate cardiovascular physiology, the impact of extracorporeal circulation on postoperative evolution, and the prescription for pharmacological support of acute cardiac dysfunction based on our cardiac unit protocols. The main causes of low cardiac output after surgical correction of heart congenital disease are reviewed, and methods of treatment and support are proposed as derived from the relevant literature and our protocols