Incidence rate and factors related to post-bronchoalveolar lavage fever in children.
BACKGROUND
Post-bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fever in children has been described by several authors.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed at assessing the occurrence of fever after these examinations and associated risk factors.


METHODS
The study was performed in the Bronchoscopy Unit of Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France, from June 2004 to July 2005. 148 children who underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy and BAL, and remained in the Unit for 24 h, were included.


RESULTS
37.8% of the patients presented post-BAL fever. In the multivariate analysis of the selected factors (age, immunodeficiency, general or local anesthesia, mucosal biopsy, inflammation and suppuration at the moment of the examination, abnormal bronchoalveolar fluid cellularity and infection), only age <2 years and presence of infection remained associated with fever.


CONCLUSIONS
The occurrence of fever is a frequent event in children who underwent BAL. In order to reduce post-BAL fever, antibiotic strategies should be devised based on prospective studies assessing identification of predictive air-way infection criteria and/or rapid bacteriological result analysis.
Fonseca
M T Mohallem
MT
Departamento de Pediatria da Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Camargos
P A M
PA
Abou Taam
R
R
Le Bourgeois
M
M
Scheinmann
P
P
de Blic
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D018893:Bronchoalveolar Lavage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000453:epidemiology; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification