Optimizing Care for Children Hospitalized With Community-acquired Pneumonia: a Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial of a Diagnostic Intervention
Children are commonly hospitalized because of community-acquired pneumonia. Despite the fact that many of these children have viral disease, a majority is treated with antibiotics. These antibiotics will not accelerate recovery in those with viral pneumonia and can cause harm. We are interested in exploring whether the MeMed BV - a composite biomarker assay - could be used to improve antibiotic prescribing in these children by identifying those who likely have viral disease. This proposal describes a feasibility randomized trial of this diagnostic intervention.
• children with a history of fever who are hospitalized with CAP (ie. 'severe CAP') as per the clinical team and who have abnormal chest imaging (eg. radiograph, ultrasound) will be eligible. They must also have at least one of the following:
‣ documented tachypnoea (\>60 bpm for age \<1 y, \>50 bpm for 1-2 y, \>40 bpm for 2-4 y, and \>30 bpm for \>4 y);
⁃ cough on exam or by history;
⁃ increased work of breathing on exam; or
⁃ auscultatory findings (eg. focal crackles, bronchial breathing) consistent with CAP.