Related Experiment Videos
[Outpatient management of children with viral meningitis]
S Mintegui Raso1, J Sánches Echániz, J Benito Fernández
1Urgencias de Pediatría. Departamento de Pediatría, Hospital de Cruces, Barakaldo. Biskaia.
Insights
Most children with suspected viral meningitis can be safely managed as outpatients. Providing clear instructions to families is crucial for successful home care and monitoring of pediatric viral meningitis cases.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Neurology
Context:
- Viral meningitis is a common pediatric illness.
- Traditional management often involves hospitalization.
- Assessing the feasibility of outpatient care is important for resource optimization.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of outpatient management for children with suspected viral meningitis.
- To describe the clinical course and outcomes of these pediatric patients.
- To identify key factors for successful extrahospitalary care.
Summary:
- 156 children diagnosed with viral meningitis (VM) were studied, with 150 managed as outpatients.
- Outpatient management was associated with good outcomes, with most children recovering well.
- Follow-up revealed transient symptoms in some, with a small percentage requiring re-evaluation.
Impact:
- Demonstrates the potential for safe and effective outpatient management of pediatric viral meningitis.
- Highlights the importance of clear discharge instructions for families.
- Suggests a shift towards less invasive care strategies for selected pediatric patients.
Objective:
To describe our experience in the extrahospitalary management of children with suspected viral meningitis (YM).
Method:
Between April and July 1997. 156 children were diagnosed of YM in our hospital and 150 managed as outpatients, after being a few hours in our emergency department. All of them were suspected to have VM attending usual clinical and laboratory findings and were discharged with cautious instructions to demand a new assessment. We contacted telephonically with them one month and six months later.
Results:
All the children with suspected viral meningitis and managed as outpatients had negative blood and CSF cultures and all of them did well. Telephonically, 104 children (69.3%) referred transient headache or back pain. and 20 of these (13.3% of all the 150) came again to our hospital, and 4 required rest for a few hours (4-12 hours) in our observation setting. Children with suspected VM didn't go to school during 5.9 x 6.1 days (1-30 days) and 71 (47.3%) were absent less than 3 days.
Conclusion:
Outpatient management of most of the children with suspected VM is possible. When a patient is sent home, detailed instructions must be given to the family.