Postoperative pulmonary complications following adenotonsillectomy in pediatric patients with obstructive sleep apnea in a tertiary government hospital

Objective@#Our study aimed to identify and describe pulmonary complications and its associated risk factors in children with suspected or confirmed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who underwent tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy in a tertiary government hospital.@*Methods@#We conducted a retrospective cohort study. Medical charts of pediatric patients with suspected or confirmed OSA who were admitted for tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020 were retrieved and reviewed. Information of the individual patients including the demographic data, clinical profile, polysomnography results, and presence of postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded. Descriptive statistics was utilized to present continuous data while frequency and percentage for categorical data. Fisher exact test was used to compare the demographic profile of patients with postoperative pulmonary complications from those without. @*Results@#A total of 90 patient records were analyzed. The mean age of the patient population was 7.87 years, 55.6% were male, 17.8% of patients were classified as obese. Thirty-four children had preoperative polysomnography and of these, 47.1% were classified as severe. Only two (2.2%) patients had postoperative pulmonary complications, which were bronchospasm and desaturation, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences noted in comparing the clinicodemographic profile of patients with postoperative pulmonary complications from those without complications. @*Conclusion@#Our results showed that most pediatric patients with suspected or confirmed OSA who underwent adenotonsillectomy did not have pulmonary complications.

Pulmonary manifestations and management of COVID-19 pediatric patients admitted in a tertiary government hospital

@#Background. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents with respiratory signs and symptoms in children. Presently, there are no local studies on the pulmonary manifestations and management of COVID-19 among children. Objective. Our study aimed to identify and describe the presenting respiratory signs and symptoms, oxygenation status, radiologic findings, blood gas analysis, and pulmonary interventions among children admitted for COVID-19. We also analyzed the clinical and radiologic variables associated with mortality. Methodology. This is a retrospective study using data obtained from a review of medical records from April 1, 2020, to June 30, 2020, at a tertiary government institution in the Philippines. All pediatric patients (0-18 years) hospitalized for probable or confirmed COVID-19 during the said time period were included in this study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was applied to determine factors affecting mortality. Results. A total of 25 pediatric patients with a mean age of 7 years old (age range: 11 days to 18 years) were admitted for COVID-19. Cough (44%) and dyspnea (24%) were the most common presenting respiratory symptoms, while tachypnea (68%), crackles (36%), and peripheral oxygen desaturation (36%) were the most common respiratory signs. Indeterminate findings for COVID-19 such as multifocal or diffuse ground-glass opacities and/or consolidations were the most common radiographic abnormalities. Invasive ventilatory support was administered to 6 cases of severe COVID-19 and 4 critical cases. There were no variables that correlated significantly with mortality. Conclusion. Respiratory signs and symptoms were prominent in our cohort of children admitted due to COVID-19. Mechanical ventilation was required in more severe cases. Larger prospective studies may help identify variables that significantly correlate with poor outcomes among children with COVID-19.

Respiratory manifestations, radiologic findings and respiratory management of hospitalized children with COVID-19 among different age groups: A systematic review

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objective:</strong> This paper aims to determine the respiratory manifestations, radiologic findings, and management of coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) among the hospitalized children of different age groups based on a systematic review of literature.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methodology:</strong> We searched the MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and MedRvrix databases for relevant studies on pediatric COVID-19 done between January 1 to May 25, 2020. Data on demographic features, pulmonary symptoms, chest imaging findings, and oxygen support were extracted in a data abstraction form and analyzed among the different pediatric age groups.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Results:</strong>?Sixteen studies were included in this systematic review, with a total of 61 patients. Thirty-nine patients (64%) belong to the 2 to 12 year age group. Cough was the most commonly reported respiratory symptoms among children older than one month. Most of the patients, particularly adolescents, had asymptomatic or mild infection. On chest imaging, infiltrates and ground-glass opacities were the most common abnormalities. Oxygen supplementation via nasal cannula, non-invasive ventilation, and mechanical ventilation was noted in three cases.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Our systematic review shows that COVID-19 can present with a spectrum of respiratory manifestations and disease severity as well as a variety of radiologic abnormalities across different pediatric age groups. Whilemost children do not develop hypoxemia warranting oxygen supplementation, a severe respiratory infection can still manifest in children. Asymptomatic and milder infections are common and highlight the need for appropriate respiratory precautions. More pediatric studies on the pulmonary manifestations and management of children with COVID-19 can aid in a better understanding of this novel disease.</p>