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Master of Public Health

Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Testing and Treatment Among Children With Community-Acquired Pneumonia

AUTHORS

Desai S , Hall M , Lipsett SC , Shah SS , Brogan TV , Hersh AL , Williams DJ , Grijalva CG , Gerber JS , Blaschke AJ , Neuman MI , Ambroggio L , . Hospital pediatrics. 2021 6 15; 11(7). 760-763

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To describe testing and treatment practices for () among children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Pediatric Health Information Systems database. We included children 3 months to 18 years old hospitalized with CAP between 2012 and 2018 and excluded children who were transferred from another hospital and those with complex chronic conditions. We examined the proportion of patients receiving testing and macrolide therapy at the hospital level and trends in testing and macrolide prescription over time. At the patient level, we examined differences in demographics, illness severity (eg, blood gas, chest tube placement), and outcomes (eg, ICU admission, length of stay, readmission) among patients with and without testing.

RESULTS: Among 103 977 children hospitalized with CAP, 17.3% underwent testing and 31.1% received macrolides. We found no correlation between testing and macrolide treatment at the hospital level ( = 0.05; = .11). Patients tested for were more likely to have blood gas analysis (15.8% vs 12.8%; < .1), chest tube placement (1.4% vs 0.8%; < .1), and ICU admission (3.1% vs 1.4%; < .1). testing increased (from 15.8% to 18.6%; < .001), and macrolide prescription decreased (from 40.9% to 20.6%; < .001) between 2012 and 2018.

CONCLUSIONS: Nearly one-third of hospitalized children with CAP received macrolide antibiotics, although macrolide prescription decreased over time. Clinicians were more likely to perform testing in children with severe illness, and testing and macrolide treatment were not correlated at the hospital level.

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