Treatment of a four-year-old child with destructive pneumonia

BACKGROUND: Treatment of patients with destructive pneumonia remains one of the most difficult problems in pediatric surgery. Modern possibilities of antibacterial and intensive care, minimally invasive endoscopic intraluminal technologies, as well as surgical techniques have reduced the number of adverse outcomes up to 4%. The type of surgical intervention and the time of its performance depend on the disease form, child’s general state, local changes in the bronchi and pleural cavity, as well as on technical capabilities of the clinic.

CLINICAL CASE DESCRIPTION: The article presents a clinical observation of the complex treatment of a 4-year-old patient with destructive pneumonia complicated by a bronchial fistula. Intensive and antibiotic therapy stabilized the child’s condition, eliminated manifestations of multiple organ failure, and drained the pleural cavity to resolve tension pyothorax. The programmed thoracoscopy provided an adequate sanation of the pleural cavity, assessed dynamics of the inflammatory process and allowed to position drains under visual control. The fistula of the lower lobe bronchus was closed with a valve bronchoblocker after elimination of the local erosive and ulcerative lesion. A clinical success of such management was manifested with inflammatory process remission, bronchopleural fistula closure, pleural empyema removal. Due to this, deblocking was done three months after discharge from the hospital. At the control examination, the patient had no fistula, most part of the affected lung was preserved, post-inflammatory changes in the pleural cavity were minimal.

CONCLUSION: The favorable outcome after treatment of children with destructive pneumonia depends on personalized and multidisciplinary approach. Minimally invasive endoscopic techniques do contribute to the effective elimination of complications, to effective functional restoration of the affected lung and to better recovery of patients.