Although the incidence of COVID-19 in children is lower, it has presented a serious complication that has a high mortality rate: Pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (SIM-P). Aware of the seriousness of this syndrome and of its role as a reference, Pequeno Príncipe Hospital alerts the whole society to the signs and symptoms of this condition. More than 300 cases have been reported worldwide. At Pequeno Príncipe, five children were diagnosed with the syndrome and, unfortunately, three of them died.

“This syndrome is extremely lethal, as it affects several systems of our body, with respiratory, cardiac, neurological, renal, gastrointestinal, hematological manifestations, hypotension, cardiogenic shock and even skin problems,” explains the infectious doctor of Pequeno Príncipe, Victor Horácio de Souza Costa Junior.

The doctor says that the two patients who survived at the Hospital fought a real battle for life. “Alisson, for example, who has myelomeningocele, had four cardiac arrests, had to undergo hemodialysis and two neurological surgeries. He was in a very serious condition, kept in the ICU for 41 days, 12 of which were put into mechanical ventilation. Thanks to the multidisciplinary service we were able to offer at Pequeno Príncipe, he won this battle,” he reports.

The Pequeno Príncipe News – Special edition COVID-19 presents more details about the Pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in one of its 13^th edition reports. You also learn more about the Oncology and Hematology and the Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) services, which maintained the care in full and in a safely form during the pandemic for all patients undergoing treatment.

The head of the Oncology and Hematology Service, Flora Mitie Watanabe, says that no patient has had the treatment stopped. “What happened was a reduction in the number of first consultations, the ones in which we make the child’s diagnosis. This reduction occurred because the municipalities in the countryside stopped addressing patients and also because the families themselves stopped looking for care, for fear of the coronavirus,” she points out. “Not all consultations mean a positive diagnosis for neoplasms, but there are certainly a significant number of children who are not being diagnosed,” she adds.

COVID-19 Report
The Pequeno Príncipe News also presents a report about the patient care offered to boys and girls with suspected of COVID-19. Since March 4 until September 11, the Hospital investigated 643 patients with suspect of the disease and 97 cases have been confirmed. Of these, on September 11, two remained hospitalized, receiving all necessary care, 46 were sent to isolation at home, 44 were recovered and, unfortunately, five patients died.

Click here and read the full-length articles in the 13^th edition of Pequeno Príncipe News – Special edition COVID-19.