Hospitalizaciones por ALTE: Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell (1/12/2010 - 1/12/2011)

Virginia Kanopa; María Noel Cuadro; Alejandra de León; Lorena De León; Ana Milovidov; Gustavo Giachetto

Authors

Virginia Kanopa Universidad de la República, Facultad de Medicina, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Departamento de Pediatría y Especialidades. Profesora Agregada de Pediatría
María Noel Cuadro Universidad de la República, Facultad de Medicina, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Departamento de Pediatría y Especialidades. Profesora Agregada de Pediatría
Alejandra de León Universidad de la República, Facultad de Medicina, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Departamento de Pediatría y Especialidades. Médico Posgrado de Pediatría
Lorena De León Universidad de la República, Facultad de Medicina, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Departamento de Pediatría y Especialidades. Médico Posgrado de Pediatría
Ana Milovidov Universidad de la República, Facultad de Medicina, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Departamento de Pediatría y Especialidades. Médico Residente de Pediatría
Gustavo Giachetto Universidad de la República, Facultad de Medicina, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Departamento de Pediatría y Especialidades. Clínica Pediátrica. Profesor

Keywords:

INFANTILE APPARENT LIFE-THREATENING EVENT, HOSPITALIZATION

Abstract

Introduction: ALTE creates anxiety and results in families being worried families, constituting a challenge for health professionals. However, there are no data available in Uruguay to assess how big the problem is.
Objective: To describe prevalence and characteristics infants hospitalized due to ALTE in the Pediatrics Unit at the Pereira Rossell Hospital Center.
Method: Design: descriptive, retrospective study. Period: December 1, 2010 through December 1, 2011. Criteria for inclusion: hospitalized infants younger that one year old, who had a diagnosis of ALTE. Variables: age, sex, risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome, studies and interconsultations, evolution, length of hospitalization and diagnosis on discharge. Source of data: clinical records. Analysis: Epiinfo 2002 version.
Results: Two thousand six hundred and ninety five children younger than 1 year old: 71 (2.6 %) had ALTE. Hospitalization rate: 26.3/1000 (IC95% 20.2-32-3); 52% were boys; 62% < 2 months. Paraclinical studies were requested in 62 out of 71 children with ALTE: in 8/8 with high ALTE, in 46/50 with lower ALTE with risk factors, 8/13 with lower ALTE without risk factors. Diagnosis on discharge was idiopathic ALTE in 36/71 (50.7%) and secondary ALTE in 35/71 (49.3%). Digestive causes were identifies in 21 out of 35 cases, respiratory in 12 out of 35 cases and neurological in 2 out of 35 cases. Average hospital stay was 7 days (1-51 days range). Four children were admitted to the ICU. None of them required mechanic ventilation and none of them died.
Conclusion: Most hospitalizations due to ALTE occur in infants younger than 2 months old at the CHPR, and they consult for changes in color, evidencing risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome. The present study points out there are no uniform criteria to treat these children and diagnostic testing had a low yield.

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