Thoracoscopy in the management of pediatric empyemas.

INTRODUCTION: Thoracoscopy is increasingly being used in the treatment of empyema. This study assesses feasibility, efficacy and safety in children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical files of patients who underwent primary thoracoscopy for empyema between 2006 and 2014 were reviewed. Demographic, clinical and surgical data were analyzed and a comparison between the period before (period1) and after (period2) the learning curve was performed. RESULTS: Ninety-one patients (53 males, 58%) were submitted to thoracoscopy at a median age of 4 years. There were 19 conversions to thoracotomy with a steady decrease of conversion rate until 2009 (period1) and no conversions thereafter (period2). There was no difference in any of the analyzed parameters between patients submitted to thoracoscopy alone and those requiring conversion in period1. Six cases (6.6%) needed redo-operation (five in period2) and thoracotomy was the elected approach in four. Necrotizing pneumonia was present in 60% of the reoperated cases; in other words, in period2 3 out of 9 cases with necrotizing pneumonia required reintervention (p=0.07). Thoracotomy was avoided in sixty-eight (75%) patients (62% in period1 versus 92% in period2, p=0.001). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Thoracoscopic approach for empyema is feasible and safe avoiding a significant number of thoracotomies after a short learning curve. An increase of reintervention rate should be expected, but throracoscopy alone is effective in the great majority of the cases. Necrotizing pneumonia may be associated with a higher risk of reintervention, as it is a contra-indication to thoracoscopy and probably surgery.

C Reactive protein and disease severity in bronchiolitis.

A diagnosis of bronchiolitis is made clinically and the use of supportive laboratory examinations, including the quantification of C reactive protein (CRP), is not well established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between CRP value and indirect markers of disease severity in patients with bronchiolitis. This study included the patients diagnosed with bronchiolitis admitted to the Pediatrics Department of S. João Hospital in 2006. A retrospective review was made through analysing clinical files. 176 patients aged 0 to 36 months (median of 4 months) were included. 63.1% were males. CRP level was measured in 94.3% of the patients, with va- lues ranging from zero to 256 mg/L and a median of 11 mg/L. CRP value in this population had a statistically significant relation with admission to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (p=0.008), length of hospital stay (p=0.025) and need for supplementary oxygen during hospital stay (p=0.022). This work raises the hypothesis that the CRP value on admission might be a marker of disease severity and have prognostic significance in patients with bronchiolitis. Further investigation is necessary to validate these results and exclude the potential confounding effect of associated infections.