Abstract
The technique of sputum induction improves the yield of microbiological investigations for organisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Pneumocystis carinii. The aim of the study was to determine the safety of this method in children under the age of 18 months. Heart rate and oxygen saturation were monitored during the procedure and compared with measurements obtained during the conventional method of sputum collection in the same patients. Patients were also observed for other possible side effects. Forty samples of sputa were obtained from 20 patients. No clinical differences in heart rate and oxygen saturation were found between the two methods. Overall, oxygen saturation measurements below 80% were recorded in three patients. Increased coughing and mild epistaxis did occur more frequently during the sputum induction method. It was concluded that sputum induction is safe in small children, but a larger sample size needs to be studied.
Highlights
The usefulness of induced sputa for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Pneumocystis carinii in adults and children has been demonstrated in a number of studies (Shata et al, 1996; Zar et al, 2000; Valerie et al, 1989; Ognibene et al, 1989)
Sputum induction was found to be better than gastric lavage for isolation of mycobacterium tuberculosis in infants and young chil dren
Measurements of oxygen saturation and heart rate before, during, and after the procedures are summarised in Tables 1 and 2
Summary
The usefulness of induced sputa for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Pneumocystis carinii in adults and children has been demonstrated in a number of studies (Shata et al, 1996; Zar et al, 2000; Valerie et al, 1989; Ognibene et al, 1989). Sputum induction was found to be better than gastric lavage for isolation of mycobacterium tuberculosis in infants and young chil dren. Side-effects reported in the literature include occasional nausea, vomiting (Shata et al, 1996; Ognibene et al, 1989), and dyspnoea (Miller et al, CORRESPONDENCE TO: H van Wyk PO Box 522, Parys 9585 Tel: (056) 811-3676 (h),. Mild epistaxis and wheezing can occur in infants (Miller et al, 1990)
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