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Ventilatory support for children with whooping cough. Experience with children admitted to a paediatric intensive
Insights
Pertussis (whooping cough) severely impacts infants under 3 months, often requiring mechanical ventilation. Maintaining immunization programs is crucial to prevent severe pertussis in vulnerable young babies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Pertussis (whooping cough) remains a significant public health concern, particularly for infants.
- Young infants are most vulnerable to severe complications of pertussis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the clinical characteristics and outcomes of pertussis patients admitted to a pediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
- To assess trends in mechanical ventilation use for pertussis over time.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 24 patients with pertussis admitted to a pediatric ICU over 42 months.
- Analysis of demographic data, clinical course, treatment interventions, and outcomes.
Main Results:
- The majority of admitted patients (24) were under 3 months old, indicating severe disease in young infants.
- Mechanical ventilation use increased from 25% to 71% over the study period.
- One infant died from respiratory infection; three developed neurological complications.
Conclusions:
- Pertussis poses a severe threat to young infants, necessitating intensive care and respiratory support.
- The rising need for mechanical ventilation highlights increasing disease severity or changing management.
- Maintaining high infant immunization rates is vital to prevent severe pertussis and protect vulnerable populations.
Abstract:
Twenty-four patients with pertussis admitted to a paediatric Intensive Care Unit over a period of 42 months are reviewed. It is concluded that pertussis affects the young baby most severely, the majority of the children admitted were under the age of 3 months. Many required long term intubation and pulmonary supportive therapy and the percentage of those admitted to the Intensive Care Unit who have needed mechanical ventilation has steadily increased over the period reviewed from 25 to 71%. The youngest infant died from overwhelming respiratory infection. The other 23 patients recovered but three children developed neurological complications and their recovery is still being assessed. The importance of maintenance of the immunisation programme is stressed in view of the evidence of the severity of the disease in the very young infant.