TITLE:
Accidental Ingestion of Petroleum in Children at the University Hospital of Brazzaville
AUTHORS:
Engoba Moyen, Daniel Kazi Menga, Verlem Bomelefa-Bomel, Armel Landry Batchi-Bouyou, Georges Moyen
KEYWORDS:
Accidental Ingestion, Petroleum, Pneumopathy, Children, University Hospital of Brazzaville
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.11 No.1,
February
7,
2021
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Petroleum ingestion is a health problem in Africa and can be responsible for
significant mortality. Objectives: Improving the management of accidental petroleum ingestion in children, describe
the socio-demographic characteristics, clinical, therapeutic and evolutionary
profile of children hospitalized for accidental ingestion of petroleum and identify
the factors associated with the occurrence of
petroleum pneumopathy. Patients and Methods: We conducted a
cross-sectional analytical study with retrospective collection from January 2016
to December 2015, i.e. in 24 months in the Pediatric Intensive Care and Infant
Pediatrics departments at the University Hospital of Brazzaville. We included children
who accidentally ingested petroleum. The variables studied were epidemiological,
clinical, therapeutic, radiological and evolutionary. The statistical tests used
were Pearson’s Chi2 and Odds ratio. The materiality threshold was set
at 5%. Results: Out of 8013 children hospitalized, 78 (1%) had accidentally
ingested petroleum, including 49 (62.8%) boys and 29 (37.3%) girls with an average
age of 20 months. They were between 13 and 30 months old n = 44 (56.4%). The mothers
were between 25 and 35 years old n = 49 (62.8%), no profession n = 31 (39.7%) and
secondary education level n = 49 (62.8%). The
mode of ingestion was self-ingestion (75.6%). The place of occurrence was
the family home (92.3%). The motive of admission was breathlessness n = 59 (75.6%).
An auscultation anomaly was noted n = 46 (59%), a pneumopathy n = 43 (55.1%). The
treatment consisted of oxygen therapy n = 51
(65.4%), antibiotic therapy n = 70 (89.7%). The factors associated with the
occurrence of a pneumopathy were: maneuvers performed and the existence of a cough.
The lethality was 3.8%. Conclusion: The high frequency of accidental petroleum
ingestions in children with an outcome often marked by pulmonary complications and
the related case fatality rate requires primary preventive measures that rely on
information, communication for behavior change
with an emphasis on careful storage of toxic products and to refrain from
harmful actions when faced with petroleum intoxication.