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Pulmonary Embolism in Children: A Case Series
Sonam Agrawal1, Yash Shrivastava1, Rishi Bolia1
1Department of Paediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India.
Insights
Pulmonary embolism (PE) in children is rare and often presents nonspecifically. Early recognition and treatment in pediatric patients with risk factors are crucial for survival.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
- Cardiology
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a significant cause of mortality in adults, but its presentation and diagnosis in children are less understood.
- Literature on pediatric PE is sparse, and clinical manifestations often differ from adults, presenting nonspecifically.
Observation:
- A case series of four pediatric patients diagnosed with PE between December 2019 and March 2020.
- All patients presented with tachycardia and dyspnea.
- Identified risk factors included deep vein thrombosis, nephrotic syndrome, soft tissue infection, and infective endocarditis.
Findings:
- Three out of four pediatric patients diagnosed with PE survived after anticoagulation therapy.
- One child with PE unfortunately died.
Implications:
- Highlights the importance of considering PE in children, especially those with identified risk factors.
- Emphasizes that early diagnosis and prompt treatment of pediatric PE can be life-saving.
Background:
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening event with a mortality of ~10%. It is relatively uncommon in children and literature regarding the condition is sparse. In adults, the classical clinical presentation is with pleuritic chest pain, hemoptysis, and dyspnea, whereas in children, the presentation is often nonspecific.
Materials And Methods:
Clinical features, risk factors, and outcome of children with PE presenting to our unit between December, 19 and March, 2020 were recorded.
Results:
Four children [mean age: 10 (6-16) years, 3 females], all presenting with tachycardia and dyspnea were diagnosed with PE. Different risk factors such as deep vein thrombosis, nephrotic syndrome, softtissue infection, and infective endocarditis (IE) were identified in all patients. One child died while others responded to anticoagulation.
Conclusion:
We aim to highlight the importance of timely recognition of PE in children with known risk factors for the same. Early recognition and timely treatment of PE are critical to save lives.
How To Cite This Article:
Agrawal S, Shrivastava Y, Bolia R, Panda PK, Sharawat IK, Bhat NK. Pulmonary Embolism in Children: A Case Series. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(12):1272-1275.
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