RESUMO
Acute respiratory infections in adults constitute a common health problem in the ambulatory care setting. Objective: To compare physician judgment with decision rules developed by Diehr, Singal, Heckerling and Gennis, for diagnosing community-acquired pneumonia in the emergency department. Design: Prospective observational investigation with preradiograph survey of physician's clinical diagnosis of pneumonia in immunocompetent adult patients presenting with fever or respiratory complaints. All patients had uniform clinical data collected, including chest radiographs and sufficient information to retrospectively apply the four clinical prediction rules. Setting: the emergency department of a major urban teaching hospital from Santiago, Chile. Participants: Adult patients presenting with recent history of acute cough, sputum production, chest pain, dyspnea or fever. Results: Of 325 patients, 112 (34 percent) had pneumonia. The sensitivity (0.79), specificity (0.66), positive predictive value (0.55) and negative predictive value (0.85) of physician judgment were very similar to the Diehr rule. The sensitivity of the Heckerling (0.84) and Gennis (0.92) rules exceeded that of physician judgment but specificities were lower (0.41 and 0.31, respectively). The accuracy of physician judgment (0.70) and the Diehr rule (0.69) exceeded that of the other decision rules. Conclusions: Physician's judgment prior to observation of radiography has moderate sensitivity and specificity to diagnose pneumonia in the emergency setting. The accuracy and specificity of physician judgment exceeded that of all four decision rules to diagnose pneumonia in adult patients.
Las infecciones respiratorias agudas constituyen una causa frecuente de consulta ambulatoria en la población adulta. Objetivos: Comparar el juicio clínico del médico con las guías de decisión descritas por Diehr, Singal, Heckerling y Gennis para el diagnóstico de neumonía en adultos que consultan por fiebre y/o síntomas respiratorios en la unidad de emergencia. Métodos: Estudio clínico prospectivo realizado en pacientes adultos inmunocompetentes, sin daño pulmonar crónico, atendidos en el servicio de urgencia de un hospital docente de la Región Metropolitana. Después de la anamnesis y examen físico, el médico de urgencia establecía un diagnóstico presuntivo, y luego se realizaba una radiografía de tórax para confirmar o excluir el diagnóstico de neumonía. El registro clínico fue estandarizado y permitió medir en forma retrospectiva las cuatro guías de decisión descritas en la literatura. Resultados: De los 325 pacientes examinados, 112 (34 por ciento) tenían neumonía. La sensibilidad (0,79), especificidad (0,66), valores predictivos positivo (0,55) y negativo (0,85) del juicio clínico y la regla descrita por Diehr fueron similares. Las reglas descritas por Heckerling y Gennis fueron más sensibles (0,84 y 0,92) que el juicio clínico para el diagnóstico de neumonía, pero su especificidad fue muy baja (0,41 y 0,31). El juicio clínico y la regla descrita por Diehr fueron más precisas (0,70 y 0,69) que las otras guías de decisión. Conclusión: El juicio clínico del médico tiene una sensibilidad y especificidad moderada para establecer el diagnóstico de neumonía en la unidad de emergencia. El juicio clínico fue más preciso y específico que las cuatro guías de decisión en la pesquisa de pacientes adultos con neumonía adquirida en la comunidad.
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Adolescente , Adulto , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Modelos Teóricos , Pneumonia/diagnóstico , Exame Físico , Radiografia Torácica , Serviços Médicos de Emergência/normas , Doença Aguda , Assistência Ambulatorial , Protocolos Clínicos , Chile/epidemiologia , Tomada de Decisões , Febre/diagnóstico , Prontuários Médicos , Hospedeiro Imunocomprometido , Pneumonia/epidemiologia , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Estudos Prospectivos , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Curva ROC , Interpretação Estatística de Dados , Transtornos Respiratórios/diagnósticoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia in adults is a serious health problem in the ambulatory care setting. AIM: To define clinical variables associated with the presence of pneumonia in adult patients presenting with fever or respiratory symptoms to the emergency department. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective study carried out in the emergency department from the Catholic University Hospital in Santiago, Chile. Three hundred twenty-five patients (53+/-22 years) presenting fever or acute respiratory symptoms were included. After obtaining a clinical history and physical examination, the physician established a tentative diagnosis. Subsequently, a definitive diagnosis was made with the chest X rays. RESULTS: Thirty-four percent of the patients had pneumonia. The clinical diagnosis of pneumonia before X-ray examination was variable among emergency physicians (positive likelihood ratio: 1.5-4.8) and showed only moderate sensitivity (79%) and specificity (66%). The clinical variables significantly associated with the presence of pneumonia were: advanced age (over 75 years), cardiovascular disease, fever, chills, sputum production, orthopnea, altered mental status, cyanosis, dullness on percussion, bronchial breath sounds, crackles, any abnormal vital sign (heart rate>or=100 beats/min, respiratory rate>or=20 breaths/min or temperature>or=38 degrees C) and oxygen saturation below 90% breathing air. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical judgment prior to observation of chest X rays had moderate sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of pneumonia. There were no individual clinical findings, or combination of findings, that could confirm or exclude the diagnosis of pneumonia for a patient suspected of having this illness.
