Prematurity Flashcards
Indications for palivizumab?
- Significant chronic lung disease of prematurity (requiring supplemental oxygen at 36 weeks) + patient is <12 months at start of RSV season and they require ongoing oxygen, diuretic, bronchodilator, steroid
- Hemodynamically significant congenital heart disease and requiring ongoing diuretic, oxygen + patients is <12 months of age at start of RSV season
- Preterm <30 +0 weeks who is <6 months at start of RSV season
- Infant in remote community (where they would need air transport for hospitalization) born at <36+0 weeks and <6 months at start of RSV season
- Groups that should NOT be routinely offered palivizumab: CF, Down syndrome, immunodeficiency, upper airway obstruction, chronic pulmonary disease unless <24 months of age and requiring home oxygen OR had a prolonged hospitalization or are severely immunocompromised
- do not continue monthly palivizumab if the child is hospitalized with breakthrough RSV
What is palivizumab and is there risk of transferring infection?
- Monoclonal immunoglobulin directed towards F glycoprotein of RSV
- It’s made through recombinant DNA technology
- Not a blood product
Side effects of palivizumab?
- injection site reaction
- fever
- rare risk of anaphylaxis
How much does palivizumab decrease hospitalization due to RSV?
- limited effect on hospitalization at a population level, but is effective in certain subgroups
- Reduction in hospitalizations of 80% in infants with prematurity (<36 weeks and without CLD), 40% in infants with prematurity and CLD, and 45% in children with CHD (but not with cyanotic heart disease)
- Palivizumab does not decrease severity of illness, icu admission or death
- It is generally not cost effective
- Only cost effective in places where high rates of RSV admission and very expensive hospital stays (e.g. Baffin Island)
Patient with suspected empyema versus parapneumonic effusion. What investigations on pleural fluid?
- Cell count
- gram stain and culture–may also send PCR, mycobacterial culture and gene Xpert
- chemistry investigations are unlikely to change management
(keep in the back of your mind: could this be a malignant effusion)
When should you insert chest tube in a patient with pneumonia and associated pleural effusion?
- Definitely insert chest tube for large pleural effusion (>1/2 thorax opacified)
- For medium size effusion (1/4 to 1/2 of thorax): option of either inserting chest tube or trying IV antibiotics
- For small effusion (10 mm rim to <1/4 of hemithorax): start with IV antibiotics. (May not even need to do an ultrasound right away for a small effusion)
Patient with pneumonia and associated effusion who has chest tube. Do you use fibrinolytic upfront? When should VATS be considered?
- For a simple, non-loculated effusion: IDSA guideline gives the option of either using or not using a fibrinolytic upfront
- For a complicated, loculated effusion: IDSA gives the option of either trying drainage with fibrinolytic or proceeding straight to VATS
Patient with pneumonia and associated effusion. Treatment?
- Treat for staph aureus and strep pneumo so could use ceftriaxone + vanco. Once cultures are back, you can tailor treatment.
(For a small effusion, it’s probably fine to just cover for strep pneumo with typical pneumonia treatment and not have additional staph coverage)
(This is the same treatment regimen used for other types of complicated pneumonia)
When is chest tube in pneumonia patient with effusion ready for removal?
<1 cc/kg/day of drainage
In what scenarios should patient with pneumonia have a follow up CXR after clinical improvement?
- Recurrence of pneumonia in the same location
- Atelectasis
- Round pneumonia (Kendig’s actually says follow up imaging for round pneumonia)
Why are children prone to round pneumonia? What age do we typically stop seeing round pneumonia?
- Children do not have well developed collateral ventilation such as pores of kohn (intra-alveolar connections) or canals of lambert (connections between distal bronchi)
- so an alveolar infection stays localized versus in adults, the infection spreads through an entire lobe
- less likely to have round pneumonia after 8 years of age
What coverage does vancomycin provide?
- resistant strep pneumo
- MRSA
What are unusual causes of pneumonia that should be considered in children <6 months of age?
- Newborn: think about GBS, E. coli (other enteric gram negatives)
- 1-6 months:
- interstitial pattern: Chlamydia trachomatis, B. pertussis, ureaplasma urealyticum –>these pathogens are treated with azithromycin
(Chlamydia pneumonia is an atypical pathogen that can cause pneumonia in children >=1 year of age, similar to mycoplasma)
What is a complicated pneumonia? How is it treated?
- Necrotizing pneumonia
- Lung abscess
- Empyema
- Pneumatocele
- In general, important to have good staph aureus and strep pneumo coverage–>third generation cephalosporing + clinda or vanco
- duration of treatment: continue treatment (either IV or oral) for at least 2 weeks after clinically improved. This will often correspond to a total of 4 weeks of treatment. (recall that typical duration of treatment for community acquired pneumonia is 7-10 days).
Two most common bacteria to cause pneumonia after influenza? (secondary bacterial pneumonia)
- Strep pneumonia
- Staph aureus
- Chest tube inserted, but not draining adequately. Provide two therapeutic options to assist drainage of effusion
External suction
- Intrapleural fibrinolysis
- Tube manipulation, ensuring no kinks etc. → tube replacement such as with larger tube or additional tube. Reposition if chest tube appears to be in wrong position on CXR.
- VATS if not improved with above
Well looking infant <6 months with suspected or confirmed pertussis. Management?
- Admit to hospital for observation given high mortality (ARDS, pulmonary hypertension, seizures, encephalitis)
Child with pertussis. Should this be treated?
Yes, you should treat pertussis, regardless of the stage of illness at which it is diagnosed.
- Early treatment during cattarhal stage will decrease severity, which is especially important for infants<6 months of age
- Treatment later than cattarahl stage will decrease infectivity
- All close contacts should be treated regardless of immunization history and history of prior infection. Should give immunization to individuals who are unimmunized or incompletely immunized
- Treatment and prophylaxis with 5 days of azithro
- For infants <6 months: azithro 10 mg/kg/day x 5 days
- For children >6 months: azithro 10 mg/kg/day x 1 day, then 5 mg/kg/day x 4 days
Is surgery usually required for pulmonary abscess?
- No
- 80-90% of abscesses will resolve by rupturing into the tracheobronchial tree and with appropriate antibiotics
- Treatment is the same as for any other complicated pneumonia
Child with influenza, uncomplicated illness and no risk factors for severe disease. Is anti-viral recommended?
No
Child with influenza, mild or uncomplicated illness, but underlying pulmonary disease (Eg. asthma, CF, obesity, BPD, aspiration), is use of anti-viral recommended?
- If within first 48 hours of illness, then use of antiviral is recommended
- If beyond the first 48 hours, then assess on case by case basis
Child with moderate, progressive, severe or complicated illness from influenza. Is anti-viral recommended?
- Regardless of time frame from within onset of illness (so even if beyond the first 48 hours), use of antiviral is recommended
- If the child was already on oseltamivir, then use zanamivir (which is inhaled or IV)
- if the child wasn’t on an antiviral, then use oseltamivir
- want to use the antiviral as soon as possible to get maximal benefit
What are the benefits of oseltamivir for influenza?
- In low risk individuals (low risk of complications from influenza), giving tamilu within 48 hours of illness will decrease illness duration by 1 day
- In individuals at high risk of influenza complications (Basically any respiratory condition), giving tamiflu doesn’t decrease duration of illness, but it decreases illness severity and hospitalization
What are the complications of chronic hypoxemia? (more broadly than just in premature infants?
- pulmonary hypertension
- cognition
- growth
- sleep (hypoxemia may be more likely to predispose to central apnea, arousal in preterms)