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An analysis of hospitalisations in the paediatric unit of a provincial hospital with special emphasis on lower respiratory diseases

Joanna Jankowska-Folusiak1, Leszek Dębicki1, Krzysztof Zeman2

Affiliation and address for correspondence
Pediatr Med Rodz 2016, 12 (3), p. 310–317
DOI: 10.15557/PiMR.2016.0032
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Abstract

Pneumonia is a common cause of paediatric hospitalisations. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the hospitalisation structure of a non-specialised paediatric unit as well as to perform a thorough evaluation of paediatric patients hospitalised due to pneumonia. Attention was also paid to recent changes in the clinical picture of pneumonia. Material and methods: A retrospective analysis of medical records of children treated in the paediatric unit of the Janusz Korczak Provincial Specialist Hospital between 2011 and 2012, with particular emphasis on patients hospitalised due to pneumonia (ICD-10 codes J12–J18), was performed. Results: Pneumonia accounted for 12.7% of all hospitalisations in the non-specialised paediatric unit between 2011 and 2012; most of hospitalisations occurred during the winter and early spring months, with a peak incidence in March. Bronchial obstruction occurred in 39.9% of cases, mainly in infants. Extensive inflammatory lesions were noted in X-ray reports in only 26% of patients; inflammatory lesions were mostly described as interstitial lesions or patchy densities in the pulmonary hilar region in other cases. X-ray images were interpreted as normal in up to 24.6% of children, which did not reflect the typical auscultatory changes. Cefuroxime sodium was the most commonly used first-line antibiotic (51.5%), followed by macrolides (34%), including macrolides in combination with β-lactam antibiotics in 26% of cases, and third-generation cephalosporins (25.7%). Conclusions: Lower respiratory diseases, mainly pneumonia often accompanied by bronchial obstruction, were the most common cause of paediatric hospitalisations in the paediatric unit of the provincial hospital. Interstitial lesions and perihilar densities seem to be the most typical radiological image in children. Adjustment of antibiotic therapy to the current guidelines and recommendations allows better treatment optimisation.

Keywords
pneumonia, hospitalisation, child

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