UNNOTICED CHEST INFECTIONS IN CHILDREN MAY LEAD TO SEVERE LIFE-THREATENING INFECTIONS. Early detection and right diagnosis in time saves 1.4 year old

Parents of Mariam, a 1.4 year old child rushed her to Zulekha Hospital Sharjah from another hospital due to severe #respiratory #problems and #fever that were not responding to treatment.

After necessary investigations, the team of doctors including Dr. Hassan Said Othman Badr, Consultant Pediatrics, Dr Khaldoon Abo Dakka, Specialist Thoracic Surgery and Dr. Ahmed Nabil Specialist Paediatric Surgeon teamed up to start the step by step treatment. The #child was #diagnosed with #septicemia, (blood infection with bacteria), necrotizing pneumonia?which is a rare and severe complication of bacterial community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), further complicated with pneumothorax and bronchopleural fistula. Such conditions need urgent #medical #treatment.

Dr Hassan began treatment with wide spectrum #antibiotics and #oxygenation support with high flow in #Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and during this time he detected the #life-threatening tension pneumothorax. The team of doctors consulted each other and decide don the next immediate course of action, without wasting time. Dr. Ahmed did the #emergency insertion of chest tube to release the tension pneumothorax. A pneumothorax occurs when air leaks into the space between the lung and chest wall. This air pushes on the outside of the lung and makes it collapse. A pneumothorax can be a complete lung collapse or a collapse of only a portion of the lung.

After seven days, once Mariam was stable with antibiotics, #nebulization and #respiratory #physiotherapy, the surgical team including Dr Khaldoon and Dr Ahmed did the definitive chest procedure of “VATS Total Decortication of the left lung with partial resection and repair of the necrotized lung tissue” in order to manage and treat the bronchopleural fistula. The surgery was done on day seven after the team of doctors made sure the infection was completely under control.

During treatment she had an acute tubular necrosis (damage to the kidney) with #renal #impairment which was also #treated #successfully.

The child took 14 days to recover, was stable and #completely #recovered at discharge. Parents of Mariam were extremely thankful for the #timely #management and #treatment of their daughter’s condition by the #doctors at Zulekha Hospital Sharjah and expressed their heartfelt gratitude.

Doctors call on parents to take note of any #chest #problems a #child is suffering from and have an early check-up done in order to avoid complications.