Background: Children’s emergency care is a critical aspect of Paediatric health care. Evaluation of the emergency room would audit the quality of care provided and give insight into the epidemiology of the diseases t...Background: Children’s emergency care is a critical aspect of Paediatric health care. Evaluation of the emergency room would audit the quality of care provided and give insight into the epidemiology of the diseases that cause morbidity and mortality. Aim: To determine the pattern and outcome of diseases seen in the children’s emergency room. Methodology: This was a retrospective review of the children’s emergency room register of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt Nigeria from Jan 2015 to May 2017. Results: A total of 1965 patients were evaluated, and there were more males 1082 (55.1%) with an M: F ratio of 1.3 :1, their ages ranged from one day old to 16 years old with 57.1% (1131) aged < 2 years old. The five common indications for emergency room visits were all infectious diseases and they included malaria 360 (18.3%), sepsis 234 (11.9%), gastroenteritis 204 (10.4%), upper respiratory tract infections 173 (8.8%), and bronchopneumonia 155 (7.9%). The common non-infectious indications were trauma 115 (5.9%), acute asthma 103 (5.2%), and sickle cell disease 81 (4.1%). Among the children who visited the emergency room for a consult, 886 (45.1%) were not admitted, 893 (45.5%) of them were discharged, mortality was recorded in 62 (3.2%) and 81 (4.1%) left the hospital against medical advice. Conclusion: Children within the first 5 years of life constituted the highest number of patients seen in the children’s emergency room with male predominance. Infectious diseases accounted for more than two-thirds of the cases.展开更多
Acute exacerbations of asthma are one of the leading causes of emergency room visits and hospitalizations in children. Asthma exacerbations also demonstrate a seasonal pattern in which high rates can be seen at a part...Acute exacerbations of asthma are one of the leading causes of emergency room visits and hospitalizations in children. Asthma exacerbations also demonstrate a seasonal pattern in which high rates can be seen at a particular season and knowledge of the seasonal pattern of asthma exacerbation in any locality can improve asthma management. Objective: To determine the prevalence, management outcome and seasonal pattern of emergency department visits for acute exacerbation of asthma. Methods: This was a retrospective review of the emergency department register of all asthma admissions in the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Portharcourt, Nigeria over a five year period from January 2014 to December 2018. Results: A total of 205 (2.9%) asthma-related visits were recorded out of 7046 emergency room visits. The mean age of the patients was 6.1 (±4.2) yrs, with an M:F ratio of 1.97:1. The median length of hospital stay was 24 hrs. Children older than 11 yrs were more likely to be admitted for >48 hrs (OR 4.18, 95% CI;1.67, 10.39, P;0.003). Emergency department visits for asthma were more in the rainy season April-September 129 (63.9%) with a peak in May. There is a significant variation in the seasonal pattern of emergency room asthma admission with age (P = 0.018). Children >3 yrs have their highest admission rates in May while younger children experience two peaks in February and November. Conclusion: Asthma exacerbation is more in rainy season among children in Portharcourt although there is a variation in seasonal pattern of asthma exacerbation with age.展开更多
文摘Background: Children’s emergency care is a critical aspect of Paediatric health care. Evaluation of the emergency room would audit the quality of care provided and give insight into the epidemiology of the diseases that cause morbidity and mortality. Aim: To determine the pattern and outcome of diseases seen in the children’s emergency room. Methodology: This was a retrospective review of the children’s emergency room register of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt Nigeria from Jan 2015 to May 2017. Results: A total of 1965 patients were evaluated, and there were more males 1082 (55.1%) with an M: F ratio of 1.3 :1, their ages ranged from one day old to 16 years old with 57.1% (1131) aged < 2 years old. The five common indications for emergency room visits were all infectious diseases and they included malaria 360 (18.3%), sepsis 234 (11.9%), gastroenteritis 204 (10.4%), upper respiratory tract infections 173 (8.8%), and bronchopneumonia 155 (7.9%). The common non-infectious indications were trauma 115 (5.9%), acute asthma 103 (5.2%), and sickle cell disease 81 (4.1%). Among the children who visited the emergency room for a consult, 886 (45.1%) were not admitted, 893 (45.5%) of them were discharged, mortality was recorded in 62 (3.2%) and 81 (4.1%) left the hospital against medical advice. Conclusion: Children within the first 5 years of life constituted the highest number of patients seen in the children’s emergency room with male predominance. Infectious diseases accounted for more than two-thirds of the cases.
文摘Acute exacerbations of asthma are one of the leading causes of emergency room visits and hospitalizations in children. Asthma exacerbations also demonstrate a seasonal pattern in which high rates can be seen at a particular season and knowledge of the seasonal pattern of asthma exacerbation in any locality can improve asthma management. Objective: To determine the prevalence, management outcome and seasonal pattern of emergency department visits for acute exacerbation of asthma. Methods: This was a retrospective review of the emergency department register of all asthma admissions in the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Portharcourt, Nigeria over a five year period from January 2014 to December 2018. Results: A total of 205 (2.9%) asthma-related visits were recorded out of 7046 emergency room visits. The mean age of the patients was 6.1 (±4.2) yrs, with an M:F ratio of 1.97:1. The median length of hospital stay was 24 hrs. Children older than 11 yrs were more likely to be admitted for >48 hrs (OR 4.18, 95% CI;1.67, 10.39, P;0.003). Emergency department visits for asthma were more in the rainy season April-September 129 (63.9%) with a peak in May. There is a significant variation in the seasonal pattern of emergency room asthma admission with age (P = 0.018). Children >3 yrs have their highest admission rates in May while younger children experience two peaks in February and November. Conclusion: Asthma exacerbation is more in rainy season among children in Portharcourt although there is a variation in seasonal pattern of asthma exacerbation with age.
