PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Models predict severity of pneumonia in kids to help guide treatment

Evidence-based tools accurately determine when pneumonia in children warrants hospitalization and intensive care

2025-05-14
(Press-News.org) Researchers derived pragmatic models that accurately distinguish mild, moderate and severe pneumonia in children, based on evidence from a study performed in 73 Emergency Departments (EDs) in 14 countries through the international Pediatric Emergency Research Network (PERN). The new predictive tools are intended to complement clinician judgement in deciding whether a child’s pneumonia warrants hospitalization or intensive care. The study was published in Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.

Community-acquired pneumonia is one of the most common infections in children worldwide and represents one of the most frequent and costliest reasons children are hospitalized in the United States. Although most children with pneumonia fully recover after a mild illness, around 5 percent become severely sick and develop serious complications.

“While only a small percentage of children with pneumonia will have severe outcomes, it’s crucial to identify these patients early so clinicians can act swiftly and aggressively to prevent further deterioration in these children,” said lead author Todd Florin, MD, MSCE, Associate Division Head for Academic Affairs & Research for the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “It is also important to know if the illness will likely be mild, in order to avoid potentially unnecessary tests or treatments or unnecessary hospital stays.”

The study included more than 2,200 children, ages 3 months up to 14 years old, who presented to the ED with community-acquired pneumonia.  

Dr. Florin and colleagues found that children with pneumonia who had a runny nose and congestion were more likely to have a mild illness. They also identified clinical features associated with the development of moderate or severe pneumonia for which hospitalization should be considered – abdominal pain, refusal to drink, on antibiotics for the current illness before the ED visit, chest retractions (indicating that the child is struggling to breathe), respiratory rate or heart rate above the 95th percentile for age and hypoxemia (low level of oxygen in the blood). These features are typically evaluated in patients with respiratory illness, which should make the model generalizable and easy to implement.

“Emergency departments around the world see thousands of children with pneumonia every day, but until now, we haven’t had a reliable way to predict who’s truly at risk of getting sicker,” said co-PI and senior author Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, Executive Vice President, Chief Academic Officer and Director of the Children's National Research Institute in Washington, D.C. “This model gives clinicians a practical tool, rooted in data, to guide that decision and ultimately improve care and outcomes.”

The study also included models predicting pneumonia severity specifically in children with pneumonia present on chest radiograph. In addition to the features noted above, researchers found that risk of more severe illness increased if multiple regions of the lung were affected.

“Our pediatric pneumonia predictive models show good-to-excellent accuracy,” said Dr. Florin. “They appear to perform better than clinician judgment alone in predicting illness severity, according to previous research from Lurie Children’s. Once externally validated, our models will provide evidence-based information for clinicians to consider when evaluating pneumonia in children.”

About Children’s National Hospital 

Children’s National Hospital, based in Washington, D.C., was established in 1870 to help every child grow up stronger. Today, it is one of the top 10 children’s hospitals in the nation and ranked in all specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. Children’s National is transforming pediatric medicine for all children. The Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus opened in 2021, a first-of-its-kind pediatric hub dedicated to developing new and better ways to care for kids. Children’s National has been designated three times in a row as a Magnet® hospital, demonstrating the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty care locations in the D.C. metropolitan area, including Maryland and Virginia. Children’s National is home to the Children’s National Research Institute and Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation. It is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels. In 1987, Children’s National founded Safe Kids Worldwide, a non-profit dedicated to reducing unintentional injuries among children through comprehensive national and global education, research and advocacy. As a non-profit, Children's National relies on generous donors to help ensure that every child receives the care they need.

For more information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About Lurie Children’s

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is a nonprofit organization committed to providing access to exceptional care for every child. It is the only independent, research-driven children’s hospital in Illinois and one of less than 35 nationally. This is where the top doctors go to train, practice pediatric medicine, teach, advocate, research and stay up to date on the latest treatments. Exclusively focused on children, all Lurie Children’s resources are devoted to serving their needs. Research at Lurie Children’s is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, which is focused on improving child health, transforming pediatric medicine and ensuring healthier futures through the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Lurie Children’s is the pediatric training ground for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. It is ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Emergency medicine-focused research at Lurie Children’s is conducted through the Grainger Research Program in Pediatric Emergency Medicine.  

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Mindfulness course effective in people with difficult-to-treat depression

2025-05-14
Mindfulness-based therapy can offer significant relief for individuals who are still depressed after receiving treatment, according to a new clinical trial. Researchers hope their findings, published in Lancet Psychiatry, could provide a new treatment pathway for people with depression who have not benefitted from previous treatment. The study was led by a researcher from the University of Surrey, sponsored by the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) differs from other psychological therapies by using intensive training in mindfulness meditation to help people develop ...

Insurer exits after the Inflation Reduction Act Part D redesign

2025-05-14
About The Study: In 2023 and 2024, more Part D beneficiaries were affected by their insurer exiting the marketplace than in previous years. This increase could be associated with changes to Medicare Part D from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which increased Part D plan sponsor financial liability. These IRA provisions were designed to lower out-of-pocket costs for Part D beneficiaries, but increased Part D plan exits could lead to more limited coverage options and less competitive Part D marketplaces.  Corresponding Author: To contact ...

Researchers gain insights into the brain’s ‘dimmer switch’

2025-05-14
A small cluster of cells deep within our brains, called the locus coeruleus, affects how awake and attentive we are, how we respond to stress, how we cope with anxiety and fear, and how we create memories and learn. The locus coeruleus, Latin for "blue spot," is also involved in a wide range of neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer’s diseases.  Yet despite its importance, relatively little is known how the locus coeruleus works. It is known to receive inputs from throughout ...

Brain scans reveal what happens in the mind when insight strikes

2025-05-14
DURHAM, N.C. -- Have you ever been stuck on a problem, puzzling over something for what felt like ages without getting anywhere, but then suddenly the answer came to you like a bolt from the blue? We’ve all experienced that “aha! moment,” that sudden clarity or magical epiphany you feel when a new idea or perspective pops into your head as if out of nowhere. Now, new evidence from brain imaging research shows that these flashes of insight aren’t just satisfying — they actually reshape how your brain represents information, and help sear it into memory. Led by ...

Loss of Medicare Part D subsidy linked to higher mortality among low-income older adults

2025-05-14
PHILADELPHIA – While it may seem intuitive that people would die without life-saving medications, Penn and Harvard researchers have connected losing a federally funded prescription drug assistance program and an increase in mortality. The program, called the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), helps 14.2 million low-income Medicare beneficiaries, many of whom are older Americans, afford their medications. Nationally,12.5 million people who are eligible for and enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid (“dual eligibles”) automatically qualify for the LIS, which ...

Persistent mucus plugs linked to faster decline in lung function for patients with COPD

2025-05-14
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, most often caused by cigarette smoking or long-term exposure to air pollutants. While there is no cure, progression can be slowed by reducing exposure to these factors.  A new study from Mass General Brigham researchers uncovered another factor linked to progression of the disease: the accumulation of mucus in the lungs. People with COPD who had persistent airway-clogging mucus plugs over a five-year period had a faster decline in lung function than those who didn’t have the plugs. The study points toward therapies that disrupt these plugs as a ...

Incomplete team staffing, burnout, and work intentions among US physicians

2025-05-14
About The Study: In this study, physicians frequently experienced incomplete team staffing. Working with an incompletely staffed team was associated with significantly greater odds of burnout, intent to reduce clinical work hours, and intent to leave one’s current organization (ITL). Given associations between ITL and attrition, these findings emphasize the importance of adequate staffing.   Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Lisa S. Rotenstein, MD, MBA, MSc, email lisa.rotenstein@ucsf.edu. To access the embargoed ...

The key to spotting dyslexia early could be AI-powered handwriting analysis

2025-05-14
BUFFALO, N.Y. – A new University at Buffalo-led study outlines how artificial intelligence-powered handwriting analysis may serve as an early detection tool for dyslexia and dysgraphia among young children. The work, presented in the journal SN Computer Science, aims to augment current screening tools which are effective but can be costly, time-consuming and focus on only one condition at a time. It could eventually be a salve for the nationwide shortage of speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists, who each play a key role in diagnosing ...

New nanoparticle could make cancer treatment safer, more effective

2025-05-14
Researchers have created a new kind of nanoparticle that could make ultrasound-based cancer treatments more effective and safer, while also helping prevent tumors from coming back. The study, published in the journal Nano Letters, explores a way to make high-intensity focused ultrasound less harmful to healthy tissues. Oregon Health & Science University was the first hospital in Oregon to offer prostate cancer treatment using a robotic-assisted high-intensity focused ultrasound device. Researchers in the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute’s Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center, or CEDAR, wanted to improve a category of focused ultrasound ...

A new study provides insights into cleaning up noise in quantum entanglement

2025-05-14
Quantum entanglement — a connection between particles that produces correlations beyond what is classically possible — will be the backbone of future quantum technologies, including secure communication, cloud quantum computing, and distributed sensing. But entanglement is fragile; noise from the environment degrades entangled states over time, leaving scientists searching for methods to improve the fidelity of noisy entangled states.  Now, researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

From blood sugar to brain relief: GLP-1 therapy slashes migraine frequency

Variability in heart rate during sleep may reveal early signs of stroke, depression or cognitive dysfunction, new study shows

New method to study catalysts could lead to better batteries

Current Molecular Pharmacology impact factor rises to 2.9, achieving Q2 ranking in the Pharmacology & Pharmacy category in 2024 JCR

More time with loved ones for cancer patients spared radiation treatment

New methods speed diagnosis of rare genetic disease

Genetics of cardiomyopathy risk in cancer survivors differ by age of onset

Autism inpatient collection releases genetic, phenotypic data for more than 1,500 children with autism

Targeting fusion protein’s role in childhood leukemia produces striking results

Clear understanding of social connections propels strivers up the social ladder

New research reveals why acute and chronic pain are so different – and what might make pain last

Stable cooling fostered life, rapid warming brought death: scientists use high-resolution fusuline data reveal evolutionary responses to cooling and warming

New research casts doubt on ancient drying of northern Africa’s climate

Study identifies umbilical cord blood biomarkers of early onset sepsis in preterm newborns

AI development: seeking consistency in logical structures

Want better sleep for your tween? Start with their screens

Cancer burden in neighborhoods with greater racial diversity and environmental burden

Alzheimer disease in breast cancer survivors

New method revolutionizes beta-blocker production process

Mechanism behind life-threatening cancer drug side-effect revealed

Weighted vests might help older adults meet weight loss goals, but solution for corresponding bone loss still elusive

Scientists find new way to predict how bowel cancer drugs will stop working – paving the way for smarter treatments

Breast cancer patients’ microbiome may hold key to avoiding damaging heart side-effects of cancer therapies

Exercise-induced protein revives aging muscles and bones

American College of Cardiology issues guidance on weight management drugs

Understanding the effect of bedding on thermal insulation during sleep

Cosmic signal from the very early universe will help astronomers detect the first stars

With AI, researchers find increasing immune evasion in H5N1

Study finds hidden effects of wildfires on water systems

Airborne fungal spores may help predict COVID-19 & flu surges

[Press-News.org] Models predict severity of pneumonia in kids to help guide treatment
Evidence-based tools accurately determine when pneumonia in children warrants hospitalization and intensive care