Why do patients leave the Pediatric Emergency Department and what happens to them?

BACKGROUND: The dropout rate is an important indicator of the quality of emergency services. The authors intend to evaluate factors that influence abandonments in the Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) and to assess outcome and destination of the highest triage leveled patients. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the abandonment cases occurring between 2014 and 2016 in a tertiary hospital, including sociodemographic characterization, temporal factors, triage level, referral from other health services, waiting time and patient attendance. The outcome of the highest triage level was also accessed. RESULTS: In the three years analyzed, there were 240171 PED visits, with an abandonment rate of 2.57%. PED abandonment was influenced by higher patient attendance and waiting time, a younger age, and less urgent triage level. Only 1.78% of the urgent or emergent patients (level three or two) abandoned the PED. Of these, 44% sought medical care in the next five days, 41% of which in private institutions, 40% in public hospitals and 19% in primary care. Only 0.81% of those were hospitalized. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients who leave the PED do not correspond to urgent cases. Health education awareness campaigns, clinical counseling platforms (online or phone services) and the improved accessibility of primary health care may optimize the usage of health resources. The reinforcement of the teams in times of greater affluence may contribute to decrease the rate of abandonment.

Pulmonary embolism in pediatric age: A retrospective study from a tertiary center.

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric pulmonary embolism (PE) is rare but associated with adverse outcomes. We aimed to characterize PE cases admitted in a tertiary hospital and to evaluate sensitivity of selected PE diagnostic prediction tools. METHODS: Retrospective, descriptive study of PE cases admitted from 2008 to 2020 using data collected from hospital records. Patients were grouped according to PE severity and setting (outpatients vs. inpatients). Links and correlation with demographic characteristics, risk factors, clinical presentation, management, and outcomes were analyzed. PE diagnostic prediction tools were applied. RESULTS: Twenty-nine PE episodes occurred in 27 patients, 62.9% female, mean age 14.1 years. Most PE were central and split between massive or submassive. One was diagnosed in autopsy. Twenty outpatients, all adolescents, were admitted for classic PE symptoms; in half of them the diagnosis had been previously missed. Risk factors included contraceptives (65%), thrombophilia (35%), obesity (20%) and auto-immunity (20%). Eight inpatients, diagnosed during cardiorespiratory deterioration (n = 5), or through incidental radiological findings (n = 3), were younger and had immobilization (87.5%), complex chronic diseases (75%), infections (75%) and central venous catheter (62.5%) as risk factors. Retrospectively, d -dimer testing and adult scores performed better than pediatric scores (sensitivity 92.9%-96% vs. 85.7%-92.9%). Both pediatric scores missed a case with a positive family history. DISCUSSION: Pediatric PE diagnosis is often delayed or missed. Development of pediatric prediction tools from validated adult scores merits being explored. We argue clinical presentation and risk factors may be different in inpatients and outpatients and propose broader reliance on family history.

Cystatin C: A Promising Marker of Renal Function in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus?

PURPOSE: Cystatin C has a higher correlation with glomerular filtration rate and a more significant clinical prognosis than creatinine. We sought to determine whether it is a marker of renal function different from creatinine (cystatin C potentially superior to creatinine), in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 37 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were evaluated. Serum cystatin C was determined by nephelometry and creatinine by modified Jaffe method. We compared five formulas: Chronic Kidney Disease â Epidemiology Collaboration cystiatin; Chronic Kidney Disease â Epidemiology Collaboration creatinine-cystatin; Cockcroft-Gault; Modification of Diet in Renal Disease and Chronic Kidney Disease â Epidemiology Collaboration creatinine, using the latter as a reference. We analyzed the influence of clinical and laboratory factors in cystatin C variation, using multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: Cystatin C was singly elevated in ten participants, versus none isolated creatinine elevation, and this difference was significant (p = 0.002). There was a difference between the estimated glomerular filtration rate by Chronic Kidney Disease â Epidemiology Collaboration cystatin and by Chronic Kidney Disease â Epidemiology Collaboration creatinine (-6.0541 mL/min/1.73 m², p = 0.07), more pronounced for lower glomerular filtration rate. Consequently, Chronic Kidney Disease â Epidemiology Collaboration cystatin reclassified 4 patients as having chronic kidney disease de novo and 1 patient as not having chronic kidney disease (p = 0.375). Cystatin C was only significantly influenced by age (p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: Several reports showed cystatin C as a better marker to define chronic kidney disease, allowing more accurate classification and risk stratification, compared with creatinine. In this study, Cystatin C revealed as a promisor marker of renal function in patient with lupus, mainly in patients with lower glomerular filtration rates. The correlation between age and cystatin C seems to be a confounding factor, as glomerular filtration rate physiologically declines with ageing. CONCLUSION: Cystatin C was potentially superior to creatinine and in this study and cystatin C seems to detect changes in glomerular filtration rate earlier than creatinine and may be a better screening method for chronic kidney disease in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Introdução: A cistatina C possui uma correlação superior com a taxa de filtrado glomerular e um prognóstico clínico mais significativo do que a creatinina. Procurou-se averiguar se constitui um marcador de função renal diferente da creatinina (cistatina C potencialmente superior à creatinina), em doentes com lúpus eritematoso sistémico.Material e Métodos: Foram avaliados 37 doentes com lúpus eritematoso sistémico, sem evidência de nefrite lúpica activa. Determinouse a cistatina C sérica por nefelometria e a creatinina pelo método de Jaffe modificado. Compararam-se cinco fórmulas: Chronic Kidney Disease â Epidemiology Collaboration cystatin; Chronic Kidney Disease â Epidemiology Collaboration creatinine-cystatin; Cockcroft-Gault, Modification of Diet in Renal Disease e Chronic Kidney Disease â Epidemiology creatinine, utilizando-se esta última como referência. Analisou-se a influência de factores clínicos e laboratoriais na variação da cistatina C, por regressão linear multivariada. Resultados: A cistatina C encontrava-se isoladamente elevada em dez participantes, ao invés de nenhuma elevação isolada dacreatinina, sendo esta diferença significativa (p = 0,002). Verificou-se uma diferença entre a taxa de filtrado glomerular estimada pela Chronic Kidney Disease â Epidemiology Collaboration cystatin e pela Chronic Kidney Disease â Epidemiology Collaboration creatinine (-6,0541 mL/min/1,73 m2, p = 0,07), mais acentuada para taxas de filtração glomerular mais baixas. Assim, a fórmula Chronic Kidney Disease â Epidemiology Collaboration cystatin reclassificou 4 doentes como tendo doença renal crónica de novo e um doente como não tendo doença renal crónica (p = 0,375). A cistatina C foi influenciada significativamente apenas pela idade (p < 0,001).Discussão: Vários estudos demonstraram que a cistatina C melhora a definição de doença renal crónica, permitindo uma classificação e uma estratificação do risco mais exactas, comparativamente à creatinina. A cistatina C revelou-se, neste estudo, um marcador de função renal promissor nos doentes com lupus, principalmente para taxas de filtrado glomerular mais baixas. A correlação da cistatina C com a idade para ser um factor confundente, na medida em que existe um declínio fisiológico da taxa de filtração glomerular com o envelhecimento.Conclusão: A cistatina C foi potencialmente superior à creatinina e nesta amostra a cistatina C pareceu detectar mais precocemente do que a creatinina alterações na taxa de filtrado glomerular, podendo ser um melhor método de rastreio de doença renal crónica no lúpus eritematoso sistémico.