Urgencias dermatológicas pediátricas en un hospital de tercer nivel

[Dermatological emergencies: a cross-sectional study of a hospital of intermediate complexity]

OBJECTIVE

To determine if the introduction of some referral criteria in the dermatology emergency department has changed the number of patients referred from the emergency department, as well as the type of diseases, and the profile of the patient who uses this service.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on all consecutive patients attended in the emergency department of the Hospital Príncipe de Asturias during a 31-day period from March 2015 to May 2015 and in the same period in 2016. Variables collected were: gender, age, days from the onset, day of the week, complementary diagnostic tests, referral, reason for consultation, diagnosis and group, whether or not they met the criteria, destination, and whether or not they had a previous appointment.

RESULTS

A total of 525 patients were seen in dermatology emergency department in 2015, and 371 in 2016 (P<.001). Of the 896 patients seen 55.7% were women and 44.3% men (14.45 patients per day). A total of 121 diagnoses were made, with the most common being: other dermatitis, drug reactions, and atopic dermatitis. Only 32 pathologies made up 70% of the diagnoses. More than half (51.6%) did not meet the referral criteria.

CONCLUSIONS

The introduction of referral criteria has led to a reduction of 30% in the number of patients in 2016. The main diagnoses in both groups were other dermatitis and drug reactions. The profile of the patient is in accordance with the description in the literature.

Infectious skin disorders encountered in a pediatric emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in Argentina: a descriptive study

BACKGROUND

Infectious skin disorders (ISDs) are commonly seen in pediatric emergency departments (PED), however the exact frequency is unknown. We provide an accurate evaluation of the incidence and characteristics of ISDs diagnosed in a PED from Buenos Aires, Argentina, over a 1-year period.

METHODS

Prospectively, descriptive study of children evaluated in the PED with ISDs during 2016. ISDs were analyzed on the basis of their incidence, patient demographics, seasonal variations, and hospitalization rates.

RESULTS

ISDs were diagnosed in 1680 (67.9%) of the skin consultations (M/F: 1.1; mean age: 4.4 ± 3.7 years). Bacterial infections were observed in 932 (55.5%) cases. Viral infections were seen in 604 patients (35.9%). Fungal and parasite skin infections were diagnosed in 33 (2%) and 111 (6.6%) children, respectively. The most frequent ISDs according to the etiology group were impetigo 377 (22.4%), varicella 397 (23.6%), tinea capitis 10 (0.6%), and scabies 109 (6.5%). A higher frequency of ISDs were reported during the summer (38.4%) and spring (38.2%) months. Bacterial skin infections were more frequent during the summer months, while viral skin infections were more prevalent during spring. Parasitic skin infections were diagnosed more frequently during the winter months. No differences were seen for mycotic skin infections. Hospitalization rate was 1% (all for bacterial skin infections).

CONCLUSION

Our data reveal the extremely high frequency of ISDs seen at the PED, underlying the need for closer cooperation between dermatologists and pediatricians.