Abstract
Background: ALTE is a life-threatening event characterized by cyanosis, hypotonia or apnea that requires life-support maneuvers for recuperation.
Objective: To determine the etiology of ALTE in our center, in order to standardize an approach to the diagnosis and treatment of this entity.
Method: Retrospective study of 71 infants younger than 1 year, hospitalized by ALTE.
Results: The most common causes of ALTE were idiopathic (36%), viral respiratory infections (29%), feeding technique problems (14%) and seizures (12%), Important diagnostic tests include direct virus inmunofluorescence (IFD), electroencephalography and polisomnography. 49% of patients repeated an ALTE event during hospitalization. 71% of parents received basic life-support education. 42% of patients were sent home with a cardio-respiratory monitor.
Conclusions: The causes of ALTE found in our investigation are similar to the ones published on previous studies, standing out the high frequency of idiopathic ALTE. Based on our data, we propose an algorithm for the diagnosis and treatment of infants with ALTE. Prospective-controlled studies related to clinical evaluation and therapy of ALTE are necessary in order to validate this algorithsm.
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Copyright (c) 2006 Revista Chilena de Pediatría