Impact of the chest physiotherapy in a pediatric emergency department

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the impact of chest physiotherapy (CP) in children hospitalized at a children's emergency department (ED). Methods: In this prospective observational study, 153 children, aged from 0 to 12 years, all with non-chronic respiratory disease and hospitalized in an ED, were divided into two groups. Group A was composed of children who were subjected to CP (n=93), and Group B of those who did not receive CP (n=60). Results: There were no differences in the characteristics of the two groups. CPAP was used in 28.8% of children in GA. The mean age was 18.96±30.13 in GA, and 26.03±32.93 months in GB. The length of stay was 2.85±1.81 days in GA, and 4.29±1.79 days in GB (p=0.0001). GA had 15.56% cases of early discharge in the first 24 hours, and GB 0%; in GA there were 21.2% cases of transfers to the pediatric ward, and 81.54% in GB. Conclusion: CP seems to have contributed to a higher percentage of discharges in the first 24 hours and reduced the total days of hospitalization in a sample of children without chronic history that were hospitalized for respiratory disorders.