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Published on: February 9, 2011

Severe acute otitis media in children

G Pavlovcinova1, J Jakubikova, P Hromadkova

  • 1Children's ENT Department, Children's University Hospital, Bratislava, Slovakia. gabikad@yahoo.com

Bratislavske Lekarske Listy
|July 18, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Severe acute otitis media (AOM) in children is increasing, often caused by antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae. This necessitates careful antibiotic prescription and may require surgical intervention.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Otolaryngology

Background:

  • Acute otitis media (AOM) is a common childhood infection.
  • A concerning rise in severe AOM relapses and hospitalizations due to antibiotic-resistant pathogens, particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae, has been observed.
  • This trend poses significant challenges in pediatric healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the etiological agents responsible for severe AOM in hospitalized children.
  • To analyze antibiotic resistance patterns of these agents.
  • To explore treatment alternatives and prevention strategies for severe AOM.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of 76 children hospitalized with severe AOM between January 2005 and December 2006.
  • Focus on identifying the causative microorganisms and assessing their antibiotic sensitivity.
  • Analysis of treatment outcomes, including surgical interventions.

Main Results:

  • Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most frequent etiological agent (37 cases).
  • Approximately 70% of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates exhibited resistance to common antibiotics.
  • Seven cases of mastoiditis were recorded, with six requiring mastoidectomy or antrotomy.

Conclusions:

  • Accurate identification of the etiological agent and its antibiotic sensitivity is crucial for effective treatment of severe AOM.
  • Increasing bacterial resistance necessitates rational antibiotic prescribing.
  • Severe AOM cases may require surgical interventions like tympanotomy with ventilation tube insertion or mastoidectomy.

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