Browsing by Author "Garcia, AM"
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- Acute Haemorrhagic Oedema of Infancy as a Manifestation of COVID-19Publication . Martins Saraiva, B; Bento Lobato, M; Santos, E; Garcia, AM
- Cardiac Injury and Vasoplegia in Critically ill Children due to Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Associated with COVID-19Publication . Constante, AD; Garcia, AM; Pataca, IC; Salva, I; Trigo, C; Brito, MJ
- Clinical and Therapeutic Approach to Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Pediatric Cohort in PortugalPublication . Saraiva, BM; Garcia, AM; Silva, TM; Gouveia, C; Brito, MJIntroduction: Coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, in children is usually a mild disease, but severe illness has been reported. Currently, the therapy benefits of antiviral experimental drugs are still uncertain. The main aim of this study is to describe the experience of a level III hospital regarding therapeutic management of hospitalized children with COVID-19 and to characterize clinical features and evolution. Material and methods: This is a descriptive study of patients with COVID-19 in a level III pediatric hospital in Portugal between March and June 2020. Experimental drugs were administered according to the best scientific evidence at the time as 'off-label use'. Results: Among 200 children with SARS-CoV-2 infection, 37 were admitted due to COVID-19. Median age was one year (23 days - 18 years), 43% had comorbidities and 20/37 (54%) received antiviral therapy. Hydroxychloroquine was administered in 13 patients, in monotherapy or combined with lopinavir/ritonavir or azithromycin. Lopinavir/ritonavir was administered in eight patients and three children were treated with remdesivir. The patients who were treated had pneumonia (14), multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (2), sepsis (2), myocarditis (1), acute respiratory distress syndrome (1), and mild illness with comorbidities (3). Other therapies included methylprednisolone and immunoglobulin (3), enoxaparin (2), antibiotics (16), oxygen (7), corticosteroids, and other inhaled therapy (16). Discussion: Several treatment approaches have been proposed for severe COVID-19, even though none of them had been proven effective or approved for small children. Currently, remdesivir is approved for children aged above 12 years-old. Although 54% of our patients were treated with antivirals, it is important to understand that the favorable clinical evolution could be related with the natural course of the disease. Conclusion: A significant proportion of our population presented severe and critical disease, was hospitalized and received treatment according to the most recent data, although most patients had mild disease. COVID-19 treatment in children is a clinical challenge and clinical trials are urgently needed.
- Complicações Intracranianas na Mastoidite: É Possível Melhorar o PrognósticoPublication . Garcia, AM; Gouveia, C; Vieira, JP; Soares Cunha, I; Varandas, L; Brito, MJA otomastoidite é a complicação supurativa mais comum da otite média aguda. Pode cursar com complicações intracranianas em 17% dos casos, como a meningite ou trombose venosa do seio lateral (TVSL). A abordagem nem sempre é consensual e a hipertensão craniana secundária pode ser uma complicação
- COVID-19 in a Tertiary Paediatric Centre in Portugal: a Single-Centre Retrospective StudyPublication . Milheiro Silva, T; Garcia, AM; Gouveia, C; Candeias, F; Brito, MJObjective: To describe the demographic, clinical, laboratory and imaging features of the first 300 SARS-CoV-2-infected children presenting to a tertiary paediatric centre in Portugal. Design: Single-centre, retrospective, descriptive study of paediatric patients who had a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from 7 March to 20 September 2020. Setting: Tertiary paediatric referral centre (Hospital Dona Estefânia, Lisbon, Portugal). Patients: 18 years or younger. Main outcome measures: Incidence, mortality, age of infection, clinical characteristics, treatment prescribed and outcome. Results: Three hundred patients with confirmed COVID-19 presented to the centre. One hundred and seventeen (39%) patients were admitted to the hospital: 69 with COVID-19 and 48 for other reasons. The most common symptoms in children admitted with COVID-19 were fever (49) and cough (38). Six patients required intensive care. Two children died and seven reported short-term sequelae. Conclusions: COVID-19 is usually a mild disease in children, but a small proportion of patients develop severe and critical disease. Fatal outcomes were rare and only occurred in children with severe previous medical conditions.
- Diagnostic Challenge in a Sickle Cell Disease Patient with COVID-19Publication . Rodrigues, J; Silva, TM; Garcia, AM; Soares, E; Brito, MJAcute chest syndrome is a life-threatening complication in sickle cell disease. Infections are frequently implied, and like other viruses, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may be a trigger. In addition, due to their inflammatory status, they may present a higher risk for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Pneumonia and acute chest syndrome share clinical, laboratory, and radiological features and may overlap, which makes their differential diagnosis especially challenging. We describe a case of an adolescent with homozygous sickle cell disease that developed acute chest syndrome in the context of COVID-19. With it, we intend to bring awareness to the potential role of imaging in the differential diagnosis and in establishing the best approach for the patient. Chest computed tomography findings were suggestive of an alternative diagnosis to COVID-19 pneumonia and red cell transfusion, fluid management, analgesics, and antibiotics were administered with favorable outcome.
- Doença de Kawasaki e Fleimão Retrofararíngeo: Uma Doença?Publication . Garcia, AM; Laranjo, S; Pinto, F; Gouveia, C; Varandas, L
- Mononucleose Infeciosa e Hepatite Colestática: Uma Associação RaraPublication . Salgado, C; Garcia, AM; Rúbio, C; Cunha, FInfectious mononucleosis is one of the major clinical manifestations of Epstein-Barr virus infection. In this syndrome, elevation of liver transaminase levels is common but cholestasis is rare, with few cases described in the literature. We present the case of a 14-year-old female adolescent, admitted to the Emergency Room with fever, odynophagia and cervical adenomegaly. She was treated with amoxicillin and two days later he presented with jaundice. The analytical evaluation was compatible with cholestatic hepatitis and abdominal ultrasound revealed hepatosplenomegaly without dilatation of the bile ducts. The diagnosis of Epstein-Barr virus infection was confirmed by the presence of serological markers. This case aims to raise awareness of a rare manifestation of a common infectious agent and, consequently, to the inclusion of acute Epstein-Barr virus infection in the differential diagnosis of pediatric cholestatic hepatitis.
- Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Associated with COVID-19 in a Tertiary Level Hospital in PortugalPublication . Vieira de Melo, J; Valsassina, R; Garcia, AM; Silva, TM; Gouveia, C; Brito, MJIntroduction: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare and severe manifestation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of children with MIS-C admitted to a pediatric tertiary hospital in Portugal. Material and methods: Observational descriptive study of MIS-C patients admitted between April 2020 and April 2021. Demographic and clinical characteristics, diagnostic tests, and treatment data were collected. The diagnosis of MIS-C was based on the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. Results: We reported 45 children with MIS-C. The median age was seven years (IQR 4 - 10 years) and 60.0% were previously healthy. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed in 77.8% by RT-PCR or antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2, and in 73.3%, an epidemiological link was confirmed. All the patients had a fever and organ system involvement: hematologic (100%), cardiovascular (97.8%), gastrointestinal (97.8%), mucocutaneous (86.7%), respiratory (26.7%), neurologic (15.6%), and renal (13.3%) system. Neurological (p = 0.035) and respiratory (p = 0.035) involvement were observed in patients with a more severe presentation. There was a significant difference of medians when comparing disease severity groups, namely in the values of hemoglobin (p = 0.015), lymphocytes (p = 0.030), D-dimer (p = 0.019), albumin (p < 0.001), NT-proBNP (p = 0.005), ferritin (p = 0.048), CRP (p = 0.006), procalcitonin (p = 0.005) and IL-6 (p = 0.002). From the total number of children, 93.3% received intravenous immunoglobulin, 91.1% methylprednisolone, and one patient (2.2%) received anakinra. Thirteen patients (28.8%) required intensive care and there were no deaths. Of the 21 patients evaluated, 90.4% had reduction of exercise capacity and of the 15 patients who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance, 53.3% had sequelae of cardiac injury. Conclusion: We observed a large spectrum of disease presentation in a group of patients where most were previously healthy. A small percentage of patients (28.9%) had a severe presentation of the disease. MIS-C is a challenge in current clinical practice and its diagnosis requires a high level of clinical suspicion as the timely initiation of therapy is essential to prevent complications. However, there is no scientific consensus on the treatment and follow-up of these patients.
- Protocol-Based Cardiotoxicity Monitoring in Hydroxychloroquine Medicated COVID-19 Pediatric PatientsPublication . Hormigo, I; Milheiro Silva, T; Laranjo, S; Trigo, C; Garcia, AM; Gouveia, C; Brito, MJIntroduction/objectives: By May 2020, SARS-CoV-2 had caused more than 400 000 deaths worldwide. Initially, hydroxychloroquine was a treatment option for COVID-19. More recent studies have questioned its safety and efficacy and, until stronger evidence is available, it was suspended from therapy protocols. We describe our experience treating COVID-19 Portuguese pediatric patients with hydroxychloroquine, having applied a protocol for monitoring cardiac toxicity. Methods: An observational retrospective study of COVID-19 pediatric patients, admitted from March to April 2020 and treated with hydroxychloroquine. Cardiotoxicity was assessed using ECG recordings and corrected QT-time (QTc). Patients were classified into risk-groups depending on QTc value: normal, slightly elevated or severely elevated (>500 ms). Results: Total of 14 patients, with a median age of 10 years [four months; 17 years], treated with hydroxychloroquine for a median of five days. Hydroxychloroquine was used in monotherapy in six patients (mainly mild disease with comorbidities), and in association with lopinavir/ritonavir (3) and azithromycin (5) in moderate to severe disease. Other QT-prolonging therapies were used in five patients: oseltamivir (3), omeprazole (1), morphine (1) and ketamine (1). At 48 hours of treatment, two patients temporarily suspended hydroxychloroquine due to QTc prolongation (>500 ms). All patients completed the whole treatment. No other side effects or deaths occurred. Conclusion: Clinical trials are evolving to define hydroxychloroquine effectivity and safety. Our considerable pediatric population supports the need for cardiotoxicity monitoring during therapy but suggest its use seems to be safe in COVID-19 pediatric patients, even in association with other QT-prolonging therapies.