P PN X CHEST PAIN

 A

Here’s the TL;DR background of the study “Pneumonia Among Children Presenting to the Emergency Department With Chest Pain” from Pediatric Emergency Care:

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TL;DR – Pneumonia in Kids With Chest Pain in the ED

• Study focus: Evaluated how often children aged 5–18 who came to a pediatric emergency department (ED) with chest pain and had a chest X-ray (CXR) actually had radiographic pneumonia. (Lippincott Journals)

• What they found: About 1 in 5 (19%) of these children had pneumonia seen on X-ray. (PubMed)

• Risk indicators: Children with pneumonia were significantly more likely to have one or more of these clinical signs:

  • Fever

  • Tachypnea (fast breathing)

  • Crackles on lung auscultation

  • Diminished breath sounds
    Almost all children with pneumonia had at least one of these signs. (PubMed)

• Clinical implication: In kids with chest pain, pneumonia can often be ruled out safely if they do NOT have fever, tachypnea, crackles, or reduced breath sounds — potentially reducing unnecessary imaging. (PubMed)

Bottom line: Among children presenting to the ED with chest pain, pneumonia is reasonably common (~20%), but careful clinical assessment helps identify low-risk patients who may not need a chest X-ray. (PubMed)

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If you want, I can also give a quick clinical checklist based on the study’s findings that clinicians use to evaluate pneumonia risk in kids.