Derivation and Validation of the Pediatric Community-Acquired Pneumonia Severity (PedCAPS) Score
PedCAPS
What is the goal of the study?
We will conduct a prospective observational study of children 3 months to 18 years old who present to participating EDs in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN). The primary outcome is Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) severity within 7 days of ED presentation, measured using a 3-tiered ordinal outcome of mild, moderate, and severe CAP. A rule for predicting CAP severity will be derived in 2000?3500 analyzable children in 7 EDs over the first 2.5 years of the project period. The rule will then be externally validated in a distinct cohort of 2000?3500 analyzable children in 7 different EDs. Seattle Children?s will participate as an ED in the validation cohort. Blood and nasopharyngeal (NP) specimens will be obtained from consented participants to evaluate the role of C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), proadrenomedullin (proADM), and viral etiology in severity prediction. Blood and NP specimens will also be stored in a biorepository for future research in pediatric CAP. At the end of this study, we expect to have a validated risk prediction rule ready for implementation into clinical care and for use in pediatric CAP research. We will also gain knowledge on the role of biomarkers in predicting clinical outcomes in children with CAP.
Who can participate in the study?
Please contact the study team listed below to learn more.