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Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP): Ancillary Tests in Infant or Child

Purpose: To determine if ancillary laboratory tests are indicated for an infant or child with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Description

Laboratory testing can be helpful in selected infants or children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Pediatric patients with CAP who can be managed as outpatients often do not need additional ancillary laboratory testing. The authors are from the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.


 

Indications for ancillary laboratory tests:

(1) infections requiring hospital admission

(2) suspicion of hypoxemia

 

Ancillary tests that may be helpful are:

(1) pulse oximetry

(2) complete blood cell count (CBC)

(3) acute phase reactants (ESR, CRP)

 

These tests can help to:

(1) confirm clinical impressions

(2) detect deterioration

(3) monitor the response to therapy. With successful therapy these tests should normalize.

 


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Specialty

Objective

ICD-10