Study Finds Higher Risk of Postoperative Pneumonia in Children With Neurologic Impairment

A new study has found that the risk of postoperative pneumonia is about two-fold higher in children with a neurologic condition. The study, “Risk Assessment for Postoperative Pneumonia in Children Living with Neurologic Impairments,” which will be published in the September 2021 issue of Pediatrics (published online Aug. 4), notes that children living with neurologic impairments often require various surgical procedures and may have an elevated risk of lower respiratory infections because of poor neuromuscular coordination, uncoordinated swallowing, and other issues. The study looked at children under 18 years old who underwent inpatient surgery between 2012 and 2018 in hospitals participating in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. The study group included 34,9163 children, of whom 2,191 developed pneumonia. The presence of a preoperative neurologic comorbidity was linked with about a two-fold higher risk of postoperative pneumonia and was associated with a longer hospital stay. These associations underscore the need to identify areas of research and prevention to reduce the risk of pneumonia in neurologically complex children, the authors conclude.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.