Table 3.
Clinical Characteristics of Cases With Pleural Fluid (PF)a on Initial Chest Radiograph Comparing Those With PF Collected and PF Not Collected
| Characteristic | Cases With PF Collected (n = 14) | Cases Without PF Collected (n = 21) | P Valueb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mo, median (IQR) | 19 (7–36) | 12 (4–27) | .17 |
| Age <1 y | 4 (29) | 10 (48) | .61 |
| Female sex | 10 (71) | 9 (43) | .15 |
| Site | |||
| Kenya | 2 (14) | 7 (33) | .82 |
| The Gambia | 1 (7) | 3 (14) | |
| Mali | 5 (36) | 6 (29) | |
| Zambia | 2 (14) | 3 (14) | |
| South Africa | 4 (29) | 2 (10) | |
| HIV positive | 0 (0) | 1 (5) | .60 |
| Very severe pneumonia (vs severe) | 3 (21) | 5 (24) | .74 |
| Hypoxemiac | 8 (57) | 11 (52) | .79 |
| Tachycardiad | 9 (64) | 13 (62) | .64 |
| Temperature ≥38°C | 7 (50) | 14 (67) | .22 |
| Wheezee | 0 (0) | 3 (14) | .29 |
| Antibiotic pretreatmentf | 8 (57) | 8 (38) | .87 |
| Vaccination | |||
| At least 1 HibCV dose | 11 (79) | 15 (88) | .39 |
| At least 1 PCV dose | 8 (67) | 11 (65) | .91 |
| Severe malnutritiong | 0 (0) | 2 (10) | .61 |
| Died in hospital | 1 (7) | 3 (14) | .94 |
| RSV NP/OP PCR Positive | 0 (0) | 5 (25) | .11 |
| Parainfluenza 1 NP/OP PCR Positive | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
Data are presented as no. (%) unless otherwise indicated. Table restricted to sites where PF specimens were available (Kenya, The Gambia, Mali, Zambia, and South Africa); no samples were collected at the Asian sites. Cases with PF specimens collected >72 hours after enrollment were excluded from the analysis.
Abbreviations: HibCV, Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; IQR, interquartile range; PCV, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine; PF, pleural fluid; NP/OP PCR, nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal polymerase chain reaction; RSV, respiratory syncytial virus.
aPF identified by at least 2 readers or arbitrators in the chest radiograph (CXR) reading process on the first CXR taken, and confirmed by The Gambia Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) clinicians, regardless of CXR final conclusion based on the PERCH CXR reading panel. Only includes cases with pleural fluid seen on CXR from sites where PF specimens were taken.
b P values based on a logistic regression model adjusted for age and site for categorical variables, and Kruskal-Wallis for continuous variables.
cHypoxia defined as oxygen saturation at admission <90% at South Africa and Zambia, and <92% at all other sites, or oxygen requirement (if on oxygen and room air saturation not available).
dElevated heart rate at baseline clinical assessment defined as follows: >160 beats per minute (bpm) in infants 0–11 months of age, >150 bpm in children 12–35 months of age, >140 bpm in children 36–59 months of age.
ePresence of audible or auscultatory wheeze at admission.
fAntibiotic pretreatment was defined as having either a positive serum bioassay or documentation of antibiotics administered at the referral or study hospital prior to NP/OP specimen collection.
gWeight-for-height z score < −3.