Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
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Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. · Nov 2013
Prevalence and predictors of hypoxaemia in respiratory and non-respiratory primary diagnoses among emergently ill children at a tertiary hospital in south western Nigeria.
Hypoxaemia is a potentially harmful complication of both acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRI) and non-ALRI in children but its contribution to burden and outcomes of hospital admissions in Africa is unclear. We investigated prevalence and predictors of hypoxaemia in ALRI and non-ALRI according to age and primary diagnoses in emergently ill children in south western Nigeria. ⋯ Hypoxaemia is common among Nigerian children admitted to an emergency unit and is associated with a poor outcome irrespective of primary admission diagnosis. Provision of equipment to measure oxygen saturation and facilities for effective oxygen delivery might substantially reduce mortality.