Supportive care in the management of severe pneumonia in Nigerian children
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Date
2012-03-12
Authors
Daodu, Oluwatomilayo (Tito)
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Abstract
According to 2008 estimates, about 177,000 children under the age of five years died of
pneumonia in Nigeria, which was the third commonest cause of the 1 million deaths in
Nigerian under-5s. Detecting hypoxemia with the use of simple pulse oximeters and providing
immediate, cost- effective oxygen treatment may be effective in decreasing the mortality due to
childhood pneumonia in Nigeria. During the period .June I, 2010 through August 31, 2010
children aged between 2 and 59 months with severe and very severe pneumonia were enrolled
and treated with standard therapy as well as supplemental oxygen via oxygen concentrator or
cylinder at University College Hospital, Ibadan. There were no significant differences found in
the socio-demographic data (age, sex, socioeconomic class) between the oxygen concentrator
and cylinder groups (p>O.1 for each variable). Forty-five out of80 patients (56%) admitted were
hypoxic (Sp02 < 90%). Twenty-three were commenced on oxygen therapy via oxygen
concentrator and 22 via oxygen cylinder. The majority of patients (98%) recovered without
sequelae (44). 6 patients experienced complications during admission and one child died. There
were no significant differences found in the outcome parameters between the two groups
(p>0.05) except a decrease in the days to resolution of nasal flaring in the oxygen concentrator
group (p<0.05)The data that has been gathered in this study suggests that the use of oxygen
concentrators as a mode of oxygen delivery for hypoxemic children with pneumonia is as
effective as the use of oxygen cylinders.
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medicine