Children with sickle cell disease and fever but no respiratory symptoms: Is a chest x-ray needed?
Publication/Presentation Date
3-1-2025
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) defines acute chest syndrome (ACS) as a new infiltrate on chest x-ray (CXR) and at least 1 of the following: fever (≥38.5
PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of ACS in patients with SCD presenting to our ED with fever with or without respiratory symptoms.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis of ED visits by patients with SCD (ages 0 to 20 years) who presented with fever (>/= 38.5
RESULTS: There were 137 children (288 unique ED visits) with fever. We found 0 % of visits with fever and no respiratory symptoms had ACS whereas 22.6 % with at least 1 respiratory symptom (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide strong evidence that a CXR is not necessary in a child with SCD presenting to the ED with fever and no NHLBI-defined respiratory symptoms. This evidence could improve quality of care and decrease unnecessary CXR use in the SCD population.
Volume
89
First Page
75
Last Page
77
ISSN
1532-8171
Published In/Presented At
Khan, N. I., Coleman, K. D., Nimmer, M., Brazauskas, R., & Brousseau, D. C. (2025). Children with sickle cell disease and fever but no respiratory symptoms: Is a chest x-ray needed?. The American journal of emergency medicine, 89, 75–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2024.12.019
Disciplines
Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
PubMedID
39700883
Department(s)
Administration and Leadership
Document Type
Article