Shift in Clinical Profile of Hospitalized Pneumonia in Children in the Non-pharmaceutical Interventions Period During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Multicenter Study

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) against coronavirus disease 2019 were implemented in March 2020. These measures were followed by a major impact on viral and non-viral diseases. We aimed to assess the impact of NPI implementation in France on hospitalized community-acquired pneumonia (hCAP) frequency and the clinical and biological characteristics of the remaining cases in children. We performed a quasi-experimental interrupted time-series analysis. Between June 2014 and December 2020, eight pediatric emergency departments throughout France reported prospectively all cases of hCAP in children from age 1 month to 15 years. We estimated the impact on the monthly number of hCAP using segmented linear regression with autoregressive error model. We included 2,972 hCAP cases; 115 occurred during the NPI implementation period. We observed a sharp decrease in the monthly number of hCAP after NPI implementation [-63.0% (95 confidence interval, -86.8 to -39.2%); p < 0.001]. Children with hCAP were significantly older during than before the NPI period (median age, 3.9 vs. 2.3 years; p < 0.0001), and we observed a higher proportion of low inflammatory marker status (43.5 vs. 33.1%; p = 0.02). Furthermore, we observed a trend with a decrease in the proportion of cases with pleural effusion (5.3% during the NPI period vs. 10.9% before the NPI; p = 0.06). NPI implementation during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic led not only to a strong decrease in the number of hCAP cases but also a modification in the clinical profile of children affected, which may reflect a change in pathogens involved.

Factors Associated With Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection

BACKGROUND

Initial reports on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in children suggested that very young age and comorbidities may increase risk of severe evolution, but these findings remained to be confirmed. We aimed to analyze the clinical spectrum of hospitalized pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infection and predictors of severe disease evolution.

METHODS

We conducted a French national prospective surveillance of children hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection. We included all children with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in 60 hospitals during February 15 to June 1, 2020. The main outcome was the proportion of children with severe disease, defined by hemodynamic or ventilatory (invasive or not) support requirement.

RESULTS

We included 397 hospitalized children with SARS-CoV-2 infection. We identified several clinical patterns, ranging from paucisymptomatic children, admitted for surveillance, to lower respiratory tract infection or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Children <90 days old accounted for 37% of cases (145 of 397), but only 4 (3%) had severe disease. Excluding children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (n = 29) and hospitalized for a diagnosis not related to SARS-CoV-2 (n = 62), 23 of 306 (11%) children had severe disease, including 6 deaths. Factors independently associated with severity were age ≥10 years (odds ratio [OR] = 3.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.1-10.3), hypoxemia (OR = 8.9 [2.6-29.7]), C-reactive protein level ≥80 mg/L (OR = 6.6 [1.4-27.5]).

CONCLUSIONS

In contrast with preliminary reports, young age was not an independent factor associated with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, and children <90 days old were at the lowest risk of severe disease evolution. This may help physicians to better identify risk of severe disease progression in children.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Routinely Available Biomarkers to Predict Bacteremia in Children With Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Secondary Analysis of the GPIP/ACTIV Pneumonia Study in France, 2009-2018

Objective(s): Blood cultures (BC), when performed in children seen in the emergency department with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), are most of the time sterile. We described the diagnostic accuracy of white blood cells (WBC), absolute neutrophils count (ANC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin (PCT) to predict blood culture (BC) result in childhood CAP. Study Design: Secondary analysis of a prospective study carried out in eight pediatric emergency departments (France, 2009-2018), including children (≤15 years) with CAP. Analyses involved univariate comparisons and ROC curves. Results: We included 13,752 children with CAP. BC was positive in 137 (3.6%) of the 3,829 children (mean age 3.7 years) in whom it was performed, mostly with Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 107). In children with bacteremia, ANC, CRP and PCT levels were higher (median 12,256 vs. 9,251/mm³, 223 vs. 72 mg/L and 8.6 vs. 1.0 ng/mL, respectively; p ≤ 0.002), but WBC levels were not. The area under the ROC curve of PCT (0.73 [95%CI 0.64-0.82]) was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.01) than that of WBC (0.51 [0.43-0.60]) and of ANC (0.55 [0.46-0.64]), but not than that of CRP (0.66 [0.56-0.76]; p = 0.21). CRP and PCT thresholds that provided a sensitivity of at least 90% were 30 mg/L and 0.25 ng/mL, respectively, for a specificity of 25.4 and 23.4%, respectively. CRP and PCT thresholds that provided a specificity of at least 90% were 300 mg/L and 20 ng/mL, respectively, for a sensitivity of 31.3 and 28.9%, respectively. Conclusions: PCT and CRP are the best routinely available predictive biomarkers of bacteremia in childhood CAP.

Paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 mimicking Kawasaki disease (Kawa-COVID-19): a multicentre cohort

BACKGROUND

Current data suggest that COVID-19 is less frequent in children, with a milder course. However, over the past weeks, an increase in the number of children presenting to hospitals in the greater Paris region with a phenotype resembling Kawasaki disease (KD) has led to an alert by the French national health authorities.

METHODS

Multicentre compilation of patients with KD in Paris region since April 2020, associated with the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ('Kawa-COVID-19'). A historical cohort of 'classical' KD served as a comparator.

RESULTS

Sixteen patients were included (sex ratio=1, median age 10 years IQR (4·7 to 12.5)). SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 12 cases (69%), while a further three cases had documented recent contact with a quantitative PCR-positive individual (19%). Cardiac involvement included myocarditis in 44% (n=7). Factors prognostic for the development of severe disease (ie, requiring intensive care, n=7) were age over 5 years and ferritinaemia >1400 µg/L. Only five patients (31%) were successfully treated with a single intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) infusion, while 10 patients (62%) required a second line of treatment. The Kawa-COVID-19 cohort differed from a comparator group of 'classical' KD by older age at onset 10 vs 2 years (p<0.0001), lower platelet count (188 vs 383 G/L (p<0.0001)), a higher rate of myocarditis 7/16 vs 3/220 (p=0.0001) and resistance to first IVIg treatment 10/16 vs 45/220 (p=0.004).

CONCLUSION

Kawa-COVID-19 likely represents a new systemic inflammatory syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. Further prospective international studies are necessary to confirm these findings and better understand the pathophysiology of Kawa-COVID-19. Trial registration number NCT02377245.

A randomised trial of high-flow nasal cannula in infants with moderate bronchiolitis

BACKGROUND

The objective was to determine whether high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC), a promising respiratory support in infant bronchiolitis, could reduce the proportion of treatment failure requiring escalation of care.

METHODS

In this randomised controlled trial, we assigned infants aged <6 months who had moderate bronchiolitis to receive either HFNC at 3 L·kg^-1·min^-1 or standard oxygen therapy. Crossover was not allowed. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients in treatment failure requiring escalation of care (mostly noninvasive ventilation) within 7 days following randomisation. Secondary outcomes included rates of transfer to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), oxygen, number of artificial nutritional support-free days and adverse events.

RESULTS

The analyses included 268 patients among the 2621 infants assessed for inclusion during two consecutive seasons in 17 French paediatric emergency departments. The percentage of infants in treatment failure was 14% (19 out of 133) in the study group, compared to 20% (27 out of 135) in the control group (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.35-1.26; p=0.21). HFNC did not reduce the risk of admission to PICU (21 (15%) out of 133 in the study group versus 26 (19%) out of 135 in the control group) (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.41-1.41; p=0.45). The main reason for treatment failure was the worsening of modified Wood clinical asthma score (m-WCAS). Short-term assessment of respiratory status showed a significant difference for m-WCAS and respiratory rate in favour of HFNC. Three pneumothoraces were reported in the study group.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with moderate bronchiolitis, there was no evidence of lower rate of escalating respiratory support among those receiving HFNC therapy.

Long-term Association of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Implementation With Rates of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Children

IMPORTANCE

In several countries, 5 years after 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) implementation, serotype replacement has been reported for invasive pneumococcal disease, which raises concerns about the long-term outcome of PCV13 implementation. The long-term effect of vaccination on community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the long-term outcome of PCV13 implementation on CAP in children.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This quasi-experimental, population-based, interrupted time-series analysis was based on a prospective multicenter study conducted from June 2009 to May 2017 in 8 French pediatric emergency departments. All patients 15 years and younger with chest radiography-confirmed CAP were included.

EXPOSURES

Community-acquired pneumonia.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The number of CAP cases per 1000 pediatric emergency department visits over time, analyzed using a segmented regression model, adjusted for influenza-like illness syndromes.

RESULTS

We enrolled 12 587 children with CAP, including 673 cases of CAP with pleural effusion (5.3%), 4273 cases of CAP requiring hospitalization (33.9%), 2379 cases of CAP with high inflammatory biomarkers (18.9%), and 221 cases of proven pneumococcal CAP (1.8%). The implementation of PCV13 in 2010 was followed by a sharp decrease in the frequency of CAP (-0.8% per month [95% CI, -1.0% to -0.5% per month]), from 6.3 to 3.5 cases of CAP per 1000 pediatric emergency department visits until May 2014, then a slight increase since June 2014 (0.9% per month [95% CI, 0.4%-1.4% per month]), until 3.8 cases of CAP per 1000 pediatric emergency department visits in May 2017. There were marked immediate decreases in cases of CAP with pleural effusion (-48% [95% CI, -84% to -12%]), CAP requiring hospitalization (-30% [95% CI, -56% to -5%]), and CAP with high inflammatory biomarkers (-30% [95% CI, -54% to -6%]), without any rebound thereafter.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The changes associated with PCV13 use 7 years after implementation remain substantial, especially for CAP with pleural effusion, CAP requiring hospitalization, and CAP with high inflammatory biomarkers. Emerging non-PCV13 serotypes may be less likely involved in severe CAP than invasive pneumococcal disease.

Impact of Implementing National Guidelines on Antibiotic Prescriptions for Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Pediatric Emergency Departments: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis

Background

Many antibiotics are prescribed inappropriately in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs), but little data are available in these settings about effective interventions based on guidelines that follow the antimicrobial stewardship principle. Our aim was to assess the impact of implementing the 2011 national guidelines on antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) in PEDs.

Method

We conducted a multicentric, quasiexperimental, interrupted time series analysis of prospectively collected electronic data from 7 French PEDs. We included all pediatric patients who visited a participating PED during the study period from November 2009 to October 2014 and were diagnosed with an ARTI. The intervention consisted of local protocol implementation, education sessions, and feedback. The main outcome was the antibiotic prescription rate of discharge prescriptions for ARTI per 1000 PED visits before and after implementation, analyzed using the segmented regression model.

Results

We included 242534 patients with an ARTI. The intervention was associated with a significant change in slope for the antibiotic prescription rate per 1000 PED visits (-0.4% per 15-day period, P = .04), and the cumulative effect at the end of the study was estimated to be -30.9%, (95% CI [-45.2 to -20.1]), representing 13136 avoided antibiotic prescriptions. The broad-spectrum antibiotic prescription relative percentage decreased dramatically (-62.7%, 95% CI [-92.8; -32.7]) and was replaced by amoxicillin.

Conclusion

Implementation of the 2011 national French guidelines led to a significant decrease in the antibiotic prescription rate for ARTI and a dramatic drop in broad-spectrum antibiotic prescriptions, in favor of amoxicillin.

Febrile urinary-tract infection due to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in children: A French prospective multicenter study

Objectives

To assess the management of febrile urinary-tract infection (FUTIs) due to extended-spectrum β-lactamase–producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) in children, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Group of the French Pediatric Society set up an active surveillance network in pediatric centers across France in 2014.

Materials and methods

We prospectively analysed data from 2014 to 2016 for all children < 18 years old who received antibiotic treatment for FUTI due to ESBL-E in 24 pediatric centers. Baseline demographic, clinical features, microbiological data and antimicrobials prescribed were collected.

Results

301 children were enrolled in this study. The median age was 1 year (IQR 0.02–17.9) and 44.5% were male. These infections occurred in children with history of UTIs (27.3%) and urinary malformations (32.6%). Recent antibiotic use was the main associated factor for FUTIs due to ESBL-E, followed by a previous hospitalization and travel history. Before drug susceptibility testing (DST), third-generation cephalosporins (3GC) PO/IV were the most-prescribed antibiotics (75.5%). Only 13% and 24% of children received amikacine alone for empirical or definitive therapy, respectively, whereas 88.7% of children had isolates susceptible to amikacin. In all, 23.2% of children received carbapenems in empirical and/or definitive therapy. Cotrimoxazole (24.5%), ciprofloxacin (15.6%) and non-orthodox clavulanate–cefixime combination (31.3%) were the most frequently prescribed oral options after obtaining the DST. The time to apyrexia and length of hospital stay did not differ with or without effective empirical therapy.

Conclusions

We believe that amikacin should increasingly take on a key role in the choice of definitive therapy of FUTI due to ESBL-E in children by avoiding the use of carbapenems.

When should clinicians suspect group A streptococcus empyema in children? A multicentre case-control study in French tertiary care centres

BACKGROUND

The incidence of invasive group A streptococcus (GAS) infections is increasing worldwide, whereas there has been a dramatic decrease in pneumococcal invasive diseases. Few data describing GAS pleural empyema in children are available.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the clinical and microbiological features, management and outcome of GAS pleural empyema in children and compare them with those of pneumococcal empyema.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PATIENTS

Fifty children admitted for GAS pleural empyema between January 2006 and May 2013 to 8 hospitals participating in a national pneumonia survey were included in a descriptive study and matched by age and centre with 50 children with pneumococcal empyema.

RESULTS

The median age of the children with GAS pleural empyema was 2 (range 0.1-7.6) years. Eighteen children (36%) had at least one risk factor for invasive GAS infection (corticosteroid use and/or current varicella). On admission, 37 patients (74%) had signs of circulatory failure, and 31 (62%) had a rash. GAS was isolated from 49/50 pleural fluid samples and from one blood culture. The commonest GAS genotype was emm1 (n=17/22). Two children died (4%). Children with GAS empyema presented more frequently with a rash (p<0.01), signs of circulatory failure (p=0.01) and respiratory disorders (p=0.02) and with low leucocyte levels (p=0.04) than children with pneumococcal empyema. Intensive care unit admissions (p<0.01), drainage procedures (p=0.04) and short-term complications (p=0.01) were also more frequent in patients with GAS empyema.

CONCLUSIONS

Pleural empyema following varicella or presenting with rash, signs of circulatory failure and leucopenia may be due to GAS. These features should prompt the addition to treatment of an antitoxin drug, such as clindamycin.

Acute hemiplegia in one infant

A previously healthy 9-month-old girl, obese (12,500 gm) with sudden onset of hyperthermia (40 degrees C), generalized tonic-clonic seizures, followed by focal seizures, drowsiness, left facial nerve palsy, left lagophthalmos and mydriasis is presented. CT-scan and MRI suggested temporal-parietal infarction due to Sylvian artery occlusion in a 9-month-old infant with familial hypercholesterolemia (type 2 A dyslipidemia). The possibility of a cerebral abscess or herpetic encephalitis was considered. Negative clinic and serologic results excluded this diagnosis. The management of the symptomatology was made with parenteral antibiotics, anticonvulsive and antioedematous cerebral therapy. Favourable evolution with residual left hemiparesis after 30 days, when the child was discharged. CT-scan reevaluation (after 5 months of evolution) showed a hypodense temporal-parietal area abnormality due to a right ischemic infarction.

Infantile spinal amylotrophy Werding-Hoffman disease and congenital contractures

The authors present a rare case of a male infant aged 5 1/2 months with muscular contractures, hypotonia and areflexia. Two male siblings died with the same clinical picture. The microscopic findings of several spinal cord specimens are typical for Werding-Hoffman amylotrophia spinalis. The microscopical aspects are suggestive for neurogenic atrophy of muscular fibres with interstitial myositic process. It is proposed to include the present case in X-linked form of infantile spinal muscular atrophy.