OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the BLUE (Bedside lung ultrasound in emergency) protocol compared to clinicoradiologic diagnosis for promptly identifying acute undifferentiated dyspnea in pediatric patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Conducted at the emergency room of the Philippine Children's Medical Center from August 2022 to May 2023, the study involved performing the BLUE protocol within 2 hours of patient arrival. Chest radiography was also conducted, with images independently interpreted by a pediatric pulmonologist, emergency medicine specialist, and radiologist. The results were then compared to the clinicoradiologic findings. RESULTS: A total of 111 participants were included, with the majority being male (55.4%) and under 1 year old (48.2%). Pneumonia was the most observed diagnosis (88.2%), followed by asthma (7.2%). Utilizing the BLUE protocol, pneumonia was identified as the most prevalent diagnosis (81%), followed by pleural effusion (12.6%) and asthma (6%). The pulmonologist, emergency medicine specialist, and radiologist exhibited high sensitivity in diagnosing pneumonia (91.01%, 89.89%, 96.77% respectively) but low specificity (26%, 21%, 57.89%). Diagnosing pleural effusion and/or congestion showed high sensitivity (89%) and low specificity (21%) based on the pulmonologist's reading, low sensitivity (37%) and high specificity (99%) based on the emergency medicine specialist's reading, and 100% specificity based on the radiologist's reading. All readers demonstrated high specificity (95%, 93%, 93%) and low sensitivity (50%, 71%, 71%) in diagnosing asthma. The ultrasound readings between the readers exhibited a high concordance rate of 98%. CONCLUSION The study findings show that the BLUE protocol has high sensitivity in diagnosing pneumonia and high specificity in diagnosing asthma. The high concordance rate among readers suggests consistent ultrasound findings. These results support the practical application of the BLUE protocol for promptly diagnosing acute undifferentiated dyspnea in pediatric patients within the emergency department.
Dyspnea

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical characteristics of plastic bronchitis (PB) in children and investigate the the risk factors for recurrence of PB. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of medical data of children with PB who were hospitalized in Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2012 to July 2022. The children were divided into a single occurrence of PB group and a recurrent PB group and the risk factors for recurrence of PB were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 107 children with PB were included, including 61 males (57.0%) and 46 females (43.0%), with a median age of 5.0 years, and 78 cases (72.9%) were over 3 years old. All the children had cough, 96 children (89.7%) had fever, with high fever in 90 children. Seventy-three children (68.2%) had shortness of breath, and 64 children (59.8%) had respiratory failure. Sixty-six children (61.7%) had atelectasis and 52 children (48.6%) had pleural effusion. Forty-seven children (43.9%) had Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, 28 children (26.2%) had adenovirus infection, and 17 children (15.9%) had influenza virus infection. Seventy-one children (66.4%) had a single occurrence of PB, and 36 cases (33.6%) had recurrent occurrence of PB (≥2 times). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that involvement of ≥2 lung lobes (OR=3.376) under bronchoscopy, continued need for invasive ventilation after initial removal of plastic casts (OR=3.275), and concomitant multi-organ dysfunction outside the lungs (OR=2.906) were independent risk factors for recurrent occurrence of PB (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Children with pneumonia accompanied by persistent high fever, shortness of breath, respiratory failure, atelectasis or pleural effusion should be highly suspected with PB. Involvement of ≥2 lung lobes under bronchoscopy, continued need for invasive ventilation after initial removal of plastic casts, and concomitant multi-organ dysfunction outside the lungs may be risk factors for recurrent occurrence of PB.
Female ; Male ; Child ; Humans ; Child, Preschool ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Retrospective Studies ; Bronchitis/etiology* ; Dyspnea ; Pleural Effusion ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; Plastics ; Respiratory Insufficiency

The female infant in this case study was admitted to the hospital 4 hours after birth due to preterm birth and respiratory distress. On the third day after birth, peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) catheterization was performed. On day 42, thrombus was found at the entrance of the right atrium from the inferior vena cava during a cardiac ultrasound, and it was considered to be related to PICC placement. Low-molecular-weight heparin and urokinase were given. After two weeks of treatment, ultrasonic monitoring showed thrombus shrinkage. No bleeding or pulmonary embolism occurred during the treatment. The patient discharged after improvement. This article mainly introduces a multidisciplinary team approach to diagnosis and treatment of PICC-related thrombosis in neonates.
Infant, Newborn ; Infant ; Humans ; Female ; Central Venous Catheters/adverse effects* ; Premature Birth ; Dyspnea ; Echocardiography ; Catheterization, Peripheral

Cryptogenic organic pneumonia (COP) refers to organic pneumonia that has not been identified a clear cause by current medical methods. A small proportion of COP can exhibit severe and progressive characteristics, while severe COP can cause systemic inflammatory storms and can be secondary to hemophilia. This article reported a case of acute severe COP secondary to hemophilia. A 67-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital due to cough, shortness of breath, and fever. At first, he was misdiagnosed as severe pneumonia, but failed to receive anti infection treatments. Sputum pathogenetic examination and Macrogene testing of alveolar lavage fluid were performed, and no etiology was found to explain the patient's condition. The condition was gradually worsened and hemophilia occurred to explain, suggesting that acute severe COP was relevant. After receiving hormone treatment, the condition gradually relieved and the absorption of lung lesions improved. Hemophilia secondary to COP is rare, and the specific mechanism needs further study.
Male ; Humans ; Aged ; Hemophilia A/complications* ; Pneumonia/diagnosis* ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Cough ; Dyspnea/etiology*

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics and the risk factors of severe human metapneumovirus (hMPV)-associated community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. Methods: A retrospective case summary was conducted. From December 2020 to March 2022, 721 children who were diagnosed with CAP and tested positive for hMPV nucleic acid by PCR-capillary electrophoresis fragment analysis of nasopharyngeal secretions at the Yuying Children's Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University were selected as the research objects. The clinical characteristics, epidemiological characteristics and mixed pathogens of the two groups were analyzed. According to CAP diagnostic criteria, the children were divided into the severe group and the mild group. Chi-square test or Mann-Whitney rank and contrast analysis was used for comparison between groups, while multivariate Logistic regression was applied to analyze the risk factors of the severe hMPV-associated CAP. Results: A total of 721 children who were diagnosed with hMPV-associated CAP were included in this study, with 397 males and 324 females. There were 154 cases in the severe group. The age of onset was 1.0 (0.9, 3.0) years, <3 years old 104 cases (67.5%), and the length of hospital stay was 7 (6, 9) days. In the severe group, 67 children (43.5%) were complicated with underlying diseases. In the severe group, 154 cases (100.0%) had cough, 148 cases (96.1%) had shortness of breath and pulmonary moist rales, and 132 cases (85.7%) had fever, 23 cases (14.9%) were complicated with respiratory failure. C-reactive protein (CRP) was elevated in 86 children (55.8%), including CRP≥50 mg/L in 33 children (21.4%). Co-infection was detected in 77 cases (50.0%) and 102 strains of pathogen were detected, 25 strains of rhinovirus, 17 strains of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, 15 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, 12 strains of Haemophilus influenzae and 10 strains of respiratory syncytial virus were detected. Six cases (3.9%) received heated and humidified high flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy, 15 cases (9.7%) were admitted to intensive care unit, and 2 cases (1.3%) received mechanical ventilation. In the severe group, 108 children were cured, 42 children were improved, 4 chlidren were discharged automatically without recovery and no death occurred. There were 567 cases in the mild group. The age of onset was 2.7 (1.0, 4.0) years, and the length of hospital stay was 4 (4, 6) days.Compared with the mild group, the proportion of children who age of disease onset <6 months, CRP≥50 mg/L, the proportions of preterm birth, congenital heart disease, malnutrition, congenital airway malformation, neuromuscular disease, mixed respiratory syncytial viruses infection were higher (20 cases (13.0%) vs. 31 cases (5.5%), 32 cases (20.8%) vs. 64 cases (11.3%), 23 cases (14.9%) vs. 44 cases (7.8%), 11 cases (7.1%) vs. 18 cases (3.2%), 9 cases (5.8%) vs. 6 cases (1.1%), 11 cases (7.1%) vs. 12 cases (2.1%), 8 cases (5.2%) vs. 4 cases (0.7%), 10 cases (6.5%) vs. 13 cases (2.3%), χ²=0.42, 9.45, 7.40, 4.94, 11.40, 8.35, 3.52, 6.92, all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age<6 months (OR=2.51, 95%CI 1.29-4.89), CRP≥50 mg/L (OR=2.20, 95%CI 1.36-3.57), prematurity (OR=2.19, 95%CI 1.26-3.81), malnutrition (OR=6.05, 95%CI 1.89-19.39) were the independent risk factors for severe hMPV-associated CAP. Conclusions: Severe hMPV-associated CAP is most likely to occur in infants under 3 years old and has a higher proportion of underlying diseases and co-infection. The main clinical manifestations are cough, shortness of breath and pulmonary moist rales, fever. The overall prognosis is good. Age<6 months, CRP≥50 mg/L, preterm birth, malnutrition are the independent risk factors for severe hMPV-associated CAP.
Infant ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Child ; Infant, Newborn ; Child, Preschool ; Retrospective Studies ; Cough ; Coinfection ; Premature Birth ; Respiratory Sounds ; Metapneumovirus ; Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology* ; Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human ; Community-Acquired Infections/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Dyspnea ; Malnutrition

Background: Dyspnea also referred to as shortness of breath or breathlessness is defined as “a subjective experience of breathing discomfort that consists of qualitatively distinct sensations that vary in intensity.” Dyspnea is a symptom of the disease, rather than a disease itself. Its etiology can be designated as arising from four primary categories: respiratory, cardiac, neuromuscular, psychogenic, systemic illness, or a combination of these. Objective: The general objective in developing this guideline is to improve the quality and outcomes of care to adult patients with dyspnea or shortness of breath in primary care and outpatient setting. Methods The ADAPTE process was utilized in the development of the initial guideline recommendations where the following steps were followed: 1) definition of clinical questions, 2) searching, screening and appraisal of guidelines, 3) decision and selection of evidence and 4) iterative drafting of guideline recommendation was done. The retrieved guidelines were systematically evaluated for their quality and validity using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation (AGREE) II Instrument, which is a tool developed to assess the methodological quality of practice guidelines. If the adopted guideline did not have recommendations for our clinical question, we developed the recommendations de novo using the GRADE approach. We prioritized retrieving systematic reviews and meta-analysis articles that are relevant to our clinical questions. In the development of recommendations, the guideline development team prioritized the interventions that address the following outcomes i.e., decrease in severity of dyspnea, resolution of dyspnea, improved quality of life and decrease mortality. Data from the articles were extracted and the evidence was then summarized and appraised based on the type of study. The recommendations were then developed by the team as the initial draft that was subjected to external review and consensus panel discussion for finalization.
Outpatients ; Dyspnea ; Primary Health Care

OBJECTIVES: To explore the application of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in the rapid clinical diagnosis of critically ill neonates. METHODS: The critically ill neonates who admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Children's Hospital of Fudan University and underwent WGS from August to September, 2019 were enrolled in this prospective study. The genetic testing results and clinical outcome were analyzed with reference to the sequencing data and clinical features of the neonates. RESULTS: A total of 15 neonates were tested, among whom there were 9 boys and 6 girls. The main reason for hospitalization included abnormal breathing in 7 neonates, poor response in 2 neonates, feeding difficulty in 2 neonates, fever in 1 neonate, hypothermia in 1 neonate, preterm birth in 1 neonate, and convulsion in 1 neonate. The mean turn-around time was 4.5 days for WGS. Finally a genetic diagnosis was obtained for 3 neonates, with a positive diagnostic rate of 20% (3/15). Among the 3 neonates, 2 neonates were withdrawn from the treatment due to severe conditions and 1 neonate died on the day when the sample was sent for genetic testing, whose etiology could be explained by the results of genetic testing. CONCLUSIONS WGS technique can provide a timely and effective diagnosis for critically ill neonates suspected of genetic diseases and provide genetic evidence for clinical treatment of critically ill cases.
Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Critical Illness ; Prospective Studies ; Premature Birth ; Dyspnea ; Fever

The awake prone position plays an important role in the treatment of hypoxemia and the improvement of respiratory distress symptoms in non-intubated patients. It is widely used in clinical practice because of its simple operation, safety, and economy. To enable clinical medical staff to scientifically and normatively implement prone position for awake patients without intubation, the committees of consensus formulation, guided by evidence-based methodology and Delphi method, conducted literature search, literature quality evaluation and evidence synthesis around seven topics, including indications and contraindications, evaluation, implementation, monitoring and safety management, termination time, complication prevention and health education of awake prone position. After two rounds of expert letter consultation, Expert consensus on implementation strategy of awake prone positioning for non-intubated patients in China (2023) was formulated, and provide guidance for clinical medical staff.
Humans ; Consensus ; Prone Position ; Wakefulness ; China ; Dyspnea

INTRODUCTION: Countries are mandating the use of face masks to stem the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Face mask use has been associated with discomfort due to its effects on thermoregulation, breathing and oxygenation. We evaluated the prevalence and severity of self-reported cardiovascular symptoms before and during face mask use. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 1,001 participants residing in Singapore, who participated in a self-administered questionnaire between 25 April 2020 and 4 May 2020. Symptom severity before and during mask use, and health-seeking behaviour information were collected. The study outcome was self-reported worsening of cardiovascular symptoms and its association with the type of mask worn, duration of mask worn per day, and intensity of physical activities during mask use. RESULTS: The most common symptom reported during mask use was dyspnoea. Independent predictors for self-reported cardiovascular symptoms during mask use were moderate-high physical activity during mask use (odds ratio [OR] 1.634, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.176-2.270, P = 0.003), duration of mask use for ≥3 h (OR 1.672, 95% CI 1.189-2.352, P = 0.003) and type of mask used, after adjusting for age, sex, healthcare-based worker status and presence of comorbidities. N95 mask was associated with worse symptoms when compared to surgical mask. Participants with ≥3 worsening symptoms or worsening dyspnoea, palpitations, fatigue and dizziness were more likely to seek medical help. CONCLUSION Face mask use has been proven to be an effective way in curbing COVID-19 transmission. However, participants in this study had concerns regarding its use and these concerns should be urgently addressed to enable mask use policies to be enacted.
Humans ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Pandemics ; Masks/adverse effects* ; Self Report ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dyspnea/etiology*

The three-day-old female infant was admitted to the hospital due to respiratory distress after birth. She was born premature at 36⁺² weeks gestational age. Prenatal ultrasound suggested abnormal development of the fetal liver vessels, and she had dyspnea that required respiratory support after birth. Chest X-ray indicated an enlarged cardiac silhouette, and cardiac ultrasound revealed enlargement of the right atrium and right ventricle. Diagnosis of hepatic hemangioma with arteriovenous fistula was confirmed through liver ultrasound and abdominal enhanced CT. At 19 days old, she underwent ligation of the hepatic artery under general anesthesia, which led to an improvement in cardiac function and she was subsequently discharged. Genetic testing revealed a mutation in the ACVRL1 gene, which was inherited from the mother. The article primarily introduces a case of neonatal heart failure caused by hepatic hemangioma with arteriovenous fistula, and multi-disciplinary diagnosis and treatment of this disease.
Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Activin Receptors, Type II ; Arteriovenous Fistula/complications* ; Dyspnea ; Heart Failure/etiology* ; Hemangioma/complications* ; Liver