- Stigma, Shame Hit Many Gay Men Affected by Mpox Outbreak
- Calories, Not Meal Timing, Key to Weight Loss: Study
- Dietary Changes May Beat Meds in Treating IBS
- Screen Pregnant Women for Syphilis, Ob-Gyn Group Advises
- Even With Weight Gain, Quitting Smoking in Pregnancy Still Best for Health
- A-Fib Is Strong Precursor to Heart Failure
- One Neurological Factor Keeps Black, Hispanic Patients From Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials
- Managing Blood Sugar After Stroke Could Be Key to Outcomes
- Dozens of COVID Virus Mutations Arose in Man With Longest Known Case
- Blood Test Might Someday Diagnose Early MS
Kids Can Beat ‘Complex’ Pneumonia Without IV Antibiotics: Study
Antibiotics taken orally are as effective — and doubtless much more welcome — than intravenous antibiotics for children recovering at home from complex pneumonia, a new study finds.
Youngsters with complex pneumonia typically have to take antibiotics for one to three weeks after they leave the hospital, the researchers noted.
To see if one medication method outperformed the other, the investigators looked at more than 2,100 children treated for complex pneumonia at 36 U.S. hospitals.
Not only were oral antibiotics as effective as IV ones, they also avoided the risk of infection and other complications related to so-called peripherally inserted central venous catheters (“PICC lines”), which are used to administer intravenous antibiotics, the researchers said.
“PICC line complications can be serious, resulting in hospital readmission, additional procedures and more medications, as well as missed work or school,” said study lead author Dr. Samir Shah. He’s director of hospital medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio.
“It’s not surprising that children and families would rather not use PICC lines,” Shah said in a hospital news release.
“Our findings, which provide compelling evidence to support the use of oral antibiotics for children with complex pneumonia, will contribute to safer care for children across the country,” Shah added.
A PICC line is usually inserted into a vein in the arm and secured to the skin. Medication is given through the tubing, eliminating the need for frequent needle jabs.
The study was published online Nov. 17 in Pediatrics.
About 15 percent of children hospitalized for pneumonia develop complex pneumonia, according to the researchers. Complex pneumonia includes an infection in the area between the layers of tissue that line the lungs and the chest cavity.
More information
The American Lung Association has more on pneumonia.
Source: HealthDay
Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.