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Pneumonia%20-%20community-acquired%20(pediatric) Management
Prevention
Vaccination
- Children should be given vaccines against bacterial pathogens including S pneumoniae, H influenzae type b, and Bordetella pertussis
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and combination vaccine against pertussis may be given as early as 6 weeks old and influenza vaccine at 6 months of age as part of the recommended routine immunization schedule
- Parents and caretakers of infants <6 months of age should be vaccinated against influenza virus and pertussis to protect the infants from exposure to these pathogens
- Children ≥6 months of age should be given influenza virus vaccine yearly
- Two doses separated by a 4-week interval should be administered to children 6 months to 8 years receiving influenza vaccine for the 1st time, then 1 dose yearly after initial dose
- Given as part of the combination vaccine DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis) of the recommended routine immunization schedule and with the booster dose Tdap or Td annually for children with complete immunization
- Introduction of pneumococcal vaccine greatly reduced the incidence of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children caused by S pneumoniae
- Pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV13) or pneumococcal 15-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV15) is recommended as a 3-dose series starting at 2 months of age given at 8-week intervals with booster dose given at 12-15 months of age for primary immunization
- PCV13 and PCV15 can be used interchangeably
- Patients aged ≥2 years at high risk of invasive pneumococcal disease should be given pneumococcal 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) 8 weeks after PCV13 dose
- Pneumococcal 10-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV10) may be considered in patients <5 years old at high risk for acute otitis media
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-specific monoclonal antibody (eg Palivizumab) may be considered as prophylaxis during RSV season in premature infants and in those with comorbid diseases (eg underlying lung pathology, congenital abnormalities of the airways, hemodynamically significant congenital heart disease, neuromuscular diseases)
- Frequent handwashing, breastfeeding, limiting exposure to other children, and reducing exposure to smoking are important measures that should be done
Follow Up
- Predictors of treatment response are decrease in respiratory signs and defervescence within 48-72 hours of antimicrobial therapy
- Switch to oral therapy may be considered once there is improvement in fever, cough, tachypnea, supplemental oxygen dependency, and increased activity and appetite, concurrent with decrease in white blood cell (WBC) counts and/or C-reactive protein (CRP) levels
- Children who developed lobar collapse, round pneumonia, or radiographic findings of CAP complications may have an outpatient follow-up at 6-8 weeks with clinical evaluation and a chest X-ray
Specialist Referral
- Consultation with a pediatric pulmonologist or infectious diseases specialist is considered if the patient has allergies, other coexisting illnesses or presence of complications (eg effusion, empyema, bronchiectasis, hemolytic uremic syndrome, necrotizing pneumonia, sepsis)
