Anales españoles de pediatría
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Pleural effusion in children is most often due to bacterial pneumonia. Between 0.6 and 2% of pneumonias are complicated by empyema and approximately 40% of children hospitalized with pneumonia have a pleural effusion. In recent years Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most prevalent organism. ⋯ Indications for early pleural drainage are gross pus, positive Gram stain in pleural fluid, pleural glucose less than 50mg/dL, pleural fluid pH of less than 7 and sonographic evidence of loculations. Local fibrinolytics may decrease the need for surgical treatment, with a success rate between 38 and 100%, according to the effusion stage. Thoracoscopic debridement is useful in the fibrinopurulent stage with loculations, with favorable results in 30-100% of patients, also depending on the effusion stage.
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Review
[Instruments for measuring health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with asthma].
Measures of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are proving to be useful in providing a comprehensive evaluation of illness and its effects on patients' daily lives. The aim of this review is to describe HRQOL instruments that are currently available to measure the HRQOL in children and adolescents with asthma. ⋯ The availability of instruments to measure the HRQOL of children with asthma in Spain is currently limited. Validated versions of the PedsQL (generic) and PAQLQ (specific) instruments, both of which have been demonstrated to be useful in other countries, should shortly be available to measure the HRQOL of children with asthma in Spain.