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Objective: To advise pediatricians, neonatologists, pulmonologists, pediatric pulmonologists, and other professionals in the area on the main indications and characteristics of long-term home oxygen therapy in children and adolescents. Data source: A literature search was carried out in the MEDLINE/PubMed database (1990 to 2011). Additionally, references from selected studies were included. As consistent scientific evidence does not exist for many aspects, some of the recommendations were based on clinical experience. Data synthesis: Long-term home oxygen therapy has been a growing practice in pediatric patients and is indicated in bronchopulmonary dysplasia, cystic fibrosis, bronchiolitis obliterans, interstitial lung diseases, and pulmonary hypertension, among others. The benefits are: decrease in hospitalizations, optimization of physical growth and neurological development, improvement of exercise tolerance and quality of sleep, and prevention of pulmonary hypertension/cor pulmonale. The levels of oxygen saturation indicative for oxygen therapy differ from those established for adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and vary according to age and disease. Pulse oximetry is used to evaluate oxygen saturation; arterial blood gas is unnecessary. There are three available sources of oxygen: gas cylinders, liquid oxygen, and oxygen concentrators. The flows used are usually smaller, as are the number of hours/day needed when compared to the use in adults. Some diseases show improvement and oxygen therapy discontinuation is possible. Conclusions: Long-term home oxygen therapy is increasingly common in pediatrics and has many indications. There are relevant particularities when compared to its use in adults, regarding indications, directions for use, and monitoring. Resumo: Objetivo: Orientar pediatras, neonatologistas, pneumologistas, pneumologistas pediátricos e outros profissionais envolvidos na área sobre as principais indicações e as particularidades da oxigenoterapia domiciliar prolongada em crianças e adolescentes. Fontes dos dados: Pesquisa bibliográfica na base de dados MEDLINE/PubMed (1990 a 2011). Adicionalmente, referências de estudos selecionados foram incluídas. Como para muitos dos aspectos não existem evidências científicas consistentes, algumas recomendações citadas foram feitas com base em experiência clínica. Síntese dos dados: Oxigenoterapia domiciliar prolongada tem sido uma prática crescente nos pacientes pediátricos e se encontra indicada em casos de displasia broncopulmonar, fibrose cística, bronquiolite obliterante, pneumopatias intersticiais, hipertensão pulmonar, etc. Ressaltam-se como benefícios: redução de internações, otimização do crescimento físico e do desenvolvimento neurológico, melhora da tolerância ao exercício e da qualidade do sono e prevenção da hipertensão pulmonar/Cor pulmonale. Os níveis de saturação de oxigênio indicativos para a oxigenoterapia diferem dos estabelecidos para adultos com doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica e variam de acordo com a doença e faixa etária. Para a avaliação da saturação de oxigênio, utiliza-se a oximetria de pulso, sendo a gasometria arterial dispensável. Há três fontes de oxigênio disponíveis: cilindros gasosos, oxigênio líquido e concentradores de oxigênio. Os fluxos utilizados costumam ser menores, assim como o número de horas/dia necessários, quando comparados ao uso em adultos. Em algumas doenças há melhora, e a suspensão do oxigênio é possível. Conclusões: Oxigenoterapia domiciliar prolongada é uma terapêutica cada vez mais comum em pediatria e suas indicações são numerosas. Há particularidades relevantes quando comparada aos adultos em relação às indicações, modo de uso e monitorização. Keywords: Home oxygen therapy, Children, Oxygen, Palavras-chave: Oxigenoterapia domiciliar, Crianças, Oxigênio

OBJETIVO: Avaliar o estado nutricional de um grupo de pacientes com fibrose cística e analisar a repercussão do aconselhamento nutricional através de um estudo comparativo pré- e pós-intervenção. MÉTODOS: Todos os pacientes com fibrose cística em seguimento regular no ambulatório de pneumologia do Instituto da Criança no período de 1996-99 foram prospectivamente acompanhados durante 3,5 anos. Em quatro etapas (I = inicial, II = 7 meses, III = 13 meses, IV = 43 meses), foi realizada uma avaliação nutricional que consistia de medidas de peso, estatura/comprimento, circunferência do braço e pregas cutâneas, e cálculos de escores z para peso/idade, estatura/idade, peso/estatura, circunferência do braço e da prega cutânea tricipital, porcentagem de peso/estatura e porcentagem de gordura corpórea. Era feita verificação do uso das enzimas pancreáticas e do uso de suplementos nutricionais. Aconselhamento nutricional verbal e através de uma cartilha explicativa foi realizado em todos os pacientes. RESULTADOS: Foram avaliados 74 pacientes, 38 do sexo feminino e 36 do masculino, com idades de 6 meses a 18,4 anos. Na etapa inicial, os dados antropométricos revelaram: porcentagem de peso/estatura = 94±13, porcentagem de gordura corpórea = 15±7,1, escore z peso/idade = -1,13±1,3, escore z estatura/idade = -0,94±1,2, escore z peso/estatura = -0,69±,1, escore z circunferência do braço = -1,35±1,3, escore z prega cutânea tricipital = -0,74±0,9. A aderência ao uso de enzimas e suplementos melhorou durante o estudo. Houve um aumento significativo no escore z de peso/idade e da prega tricipital e na porcentagem de gordura corpórea durante todo o período de estudo. Dividindo-se os pacientes em três grupos etários, a melhora antropométrica só foi significativa nos menores de 5 anos. CONCLUSÕES: Desnutrição leve estava presente nesse grupo de pacientes com fibrose cística. O aconselhamento nutricional realizado possibilitou melhora na aderência ao uso de enzimas pancreáticas e de suplementos nutricionais e no estado nutricional, principalmente nos pacientes de baixa idade.

OBJECTIVES: To point out primary ciliary dyskinesia as a cause of chronic respiratory disease in children.METHODS: A 10 year literature review on Medline and by direct research about the subject.RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Primary ciliary dyskinesia is a disorder characterized by an abnormal mucociliary clearance. It affects both the upper and lower respiratory tracts and usually the clinical manifestations start in the first years of life. It can progress to bronchiectasis. Kartageners syndrome is the typical genetic manifestation. The diagnosis may be based on an abnormal saccharin test, but its confirmation depends on abnormal ultrastructure of the cilia or abnormal ciliary function. Many ciliary defects are currently known. The treatment is supportive, with measures to enhance mucociliary clearance, such as chest physiotherapy, prevention of infections by immunizations and prompt antibiotic therapy in the acute respiratory infections.

Objectives: To describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients on long-term home oxygen therapy followed up by the home care program of Hospital das Clinicas, School of Medicine, Universidade de Sao Paulo, during a period of 8 years; to compare groups with and without secondary pulmonary hypertension; and to estimate the cost of the program using oxygen concentrators vs. oxygen cylinders provided by the hospital. Methods: A descriptive, retrospective cohort study of patients on long-term home oxygen therapy followed up from 2002 to 2009 at the Unit of Pulmonology, Children’s Institute, Hospital das Clinicas, School of Medicine, Universidade de Sao Paulo. Results: We studied 165 patients, of whom 53% were male, with the following medians: age at the beginning of oxygen therapy – 3.6 years; duration of oxygen therapy – 7 years; and survival time after beginning of oxygen therapy – 3.4 years. The main diagnoses were: cystic fibrosis (22%), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (19%), and bronchiolitis obliterans (15%). Of the 33 patients who underwent spirometry, 70% had severe obstructive lung disease. Echocardiogram was performed in 134 patients; 51% of them had secondary pulmonary hypertension. There was a statistically significant association between pulmonary hypertension and need of higher oxygen flows (chi-square, p = 0.011), and between pulmonary hypertension and longer duration of oxygen therapy (Logrank, p = 0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference between survival time after the beginning of oxygen therapy and pulmonary hypertension. The average monthly costs of the program were US$ 7,392.93 for concentrators and US$ 16,630.92 for cylinders. Conclusions: Long-term home oxygen therapy was used to treat different chronic diseases, predominantly in infants and preschool children. There was a high frequency of pulmonary hypertension associated with longer periods of oxygen use and greater oxygen flow, without association with survival rate. The use of concentrators instead of cylinders may reduce costs significantly.

OBJECTIVE To compare sweat chloride values obtained by quantitative pilocarpine iontophoresis (classic test) with the sweat conductivity values obtained using Macroduct collection system in patients with and without cystic fibrosis (CF). The cost and time spent to carry out each test were also analyzed. METHODS The sweat test using both techniques was performed at the same time in patients with and without CF. Conductivity cutoff values to rule out or diagnose CF were or = 90 mmol/L, respectively, and for the classic test the chloride values were or = 60 mmol/L. RESULTS Fifty-two patients with CF (29 males and 23 females; aged from 1.5 to 18.2 years) underwent the sweat test using both techniques, showing median sweat chloride and conductivity values of 114 and 122 mmol/L, respectively. In all of them, conductivity was > or = 95 mmol/L, which provided the test with 100% sensitivity (95%CI 93.1-100). Fifty patients without CF (24 males and 26 females; aged from 0.5 to 12.5 years) had median sweat chloride and conductivity values of 15.5 and 30 mmol/L, respectively. In all cases, conductivity was < 70 mmol/L, which provided the test with 100% specificity (95%CI 92.9-100). Time spent to perform the tests was significantly shorter for the conductivity test, and its cost was also lower. CONCLUSIONS The conductivity test showed high sensitivity and specificity, and there was good correspondence between the tests. The time spent to carry out the conductivity test was shorter and the cost was lower in comparison with the classic test.