Respiratory Viral Infections in Hospitalized Children
Respiratory Viral Infections in Hospitalized Children
Background: Identification of children with respiratory viral infections may augment infection-control practices on inpatient units. There are clinical syndromes leading to morbidity among hospitalized children, however, in which a viral etiology of the illness might not be considered.
Methods: Virus infection rates among 243 children aged <1 to 19 years hospitalized between October 1993 and April 1994 with asthma, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, fever, apnea, croup, or respiratory distress were evaluated as part of a University of Maryland Medical Center infection-control protocol. Anonymous data collected included admission diagnoses, age, and virus-identification result.
Results: Seventy-one children (29%) had a virus identified, including 19 of 123 (15%) with asthma, 4 of 12 (33%) with pneumonia, 27 of 47 (57%) with bronchiolitis, 13 of 41 (32%) with fever, 4 of 9 (44%) with apnea, 2 of 3 (67%) with croup, and 2 of 8 (25%) with unspecified respiratory distress.
Conclusion: This study reinforces the concept that clinicians should consider respiratory viruses for a broad range of diagnoses. This heightened awareness may help reduce the number of nosocomial respiratory viral infections.
Nosocomial respiratory viral infections cause significant morbidity and mortality, particularly among hospitalized children with underlying cardiorespiratory disease or immunodeficiencies. Hospital infection-control policies have been traditionally oriented toward clinical syndromes and conditions that have been associated with high rates of respiratory virus shedding (eg, bronchiolitis and croup). Hospitalized children with asthma, apnea, or fever without an apparent source may not be routinely considered to be a source of nosocomial viral respiratory infection. Although these latter clinical syndromes may be associated with viral pathogens, hospital infection-control protocols may not be uniformly instituted for these children. This issue is important, because infection-control measures, such as cohort nursing, wearing gowns, and using gloves for all encounters with virus-infected children, has been shown to reduce nosocomial spread of disease.
The purpose of this study was to estimate respiratory virus infection rates associated with certain admission diagnoses during the respiratory viral infection season.
Background: Identification of children with respiratory viral infections may augment infection-control practices on inpatient units. There are clinical syndromes leading to morbidity among hospitalized children, however, in which a viral etiology of the illness might not be considered.
Methods: Virus infection rates among 243 children aged <1 to 19 years hospitalized between October 1993 and April 1994 with asthma, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, fever, apnea, croup, or respiratory distress were evaluated as part of a University of Maryland Medical Center infection-control protocol. Anonymous data collected included admission diagnoses, age, and virus-identification result.
Results: Seventy-one children (29%) had a virus identified, including 19 of 123 (15%) with asthma, 4 of 12 (33%) with pneumonia, 27 of 47 (57%) with bronchiolitis, 13 of 41 (32%) with fever, 4 of 9 (44%) with apnea, 2 of 3 (67%) with croup, and 2 of 8 (25%) with unspecified respiratory distress.
Conclusion: This study reinforces the concept that clinicians should consider respiratory viruses for a broad range of diagnoses. This heightened awareness may help reduce the number of nosocomial respiratory viral infections.
Nosocomial respiratory viral infections cause significant morbidity and mortality, particularly among hospitalized children with underlying cardiorespiratory disease or immunodeficiencies. Hospital infection-control policies have been traditionally oriented toward clinical syndromes and conditions that have been associated with high rates of respiratory virus shedding (eg, bronchiolitis and croup). Hospitalized children with asthma, apnea, or fever without an apparent source may not be routinely considered to be a source of nosocomial viral respiratory infection. Although these latter clinical syndromes may be associated with viral pathogens, hospital infection-control protocols may not be uniformly instituted for these children. This issue is important, because infection-control measures, such as cohort nursing, wearing gowns, and using gloves for all encounters with virus-infected children, has been shown to reduce nosocomial spread of disease.
The purpose of this study was to estimate respiratory virus infection rates associated with certain admission diagnoses during the respiratory viral infection season.
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