Etiology and Outcome of Severe Apparent Life-Threatening Events in Infants

Long-Term Pulmonary Damage From SARS-CoV-2 in an Infant With Brief Unexplained Resolved Events: A Case Report

A brief unexplained resolved event (BRUE) is an event observed in a child under 1 year of age in which the observer witnesses a sudden, brief but resolved episode of change in skin color, lack of breathing, weakness or poor responsiveness. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). We report the case of a previously healthy, full-term infant infected with SARS-CoV-2 when he was 8 months old. Previous to this event, both his grandfather and great-uncle had died of severe pneumonia and his mother had developed respiratory symptoms and fever. Over the following month he was seen five times in the emergency room and was hospitalized twice for recurrent BRUE. At the first hospital admission, after the second emergency room visit, he twice tested positive for COVID-19 after nasopharyngeal swab tests. During his second hospital admission, after the fifth emergency room visit, chest computed tomography revealed typical SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. During a follow-up examination 6 months later, mild respiratory distress required administration of inhaled oxygen (0.5 L/min) and chest computed tomography disclosed a slight improvement in pulmonary involvement. The clinical manifestation of pulmonary complications from COVID-19 infection was unusual. This is the first report of an infant at high-risk for BRUE, which was the only manifestation of long-term lung involvement due to SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients Admitted with Brief Resolved Unexplained Events to a Tertiary Care Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

The aim of this study was to determine outcomes of patients admitted to a tertiary care pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with brief, resolved, unexplained event (BRUE), and to review the diagnostic and treatment options utilized for such patients. A retrospective data analysis was conducted for infants and children who were admitted to the PICU at a tertiary hospital with a diagnosis of BRUE over a period of three years (2015-2017). The study included 30 infants, 15 males, and 15 females. All patients survived to hospital discharge. The most frequent presenting symptoms and signs were apnea (73.3%), cyanosis (60.0%), and cough (20.0%). The most frequent reported affected systems were respiratory (33.3%), gastrointestinal (20%), and infection-related illness (20.0%). We conclude that the careful history taking, complete physical examination, and the appropriate workup for patients with BRUE play an integral role in optimum health service and utilization of critical care beds. Survival to hospital discharge with no serious in-hospital events warrants the adaptation of evidence-based medicine guidelines to stratify such patients based on the risk of recurrence or a serious underlying condition. Prospective multicenter studies are recommended to explore the effectiveness of such guidelines implementation on outcomes and diagnostic testing in such patients to optimize the utilization of the limited critical care beds.