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ABSTRACT Objective: Currently, little is known about the long-term outcomes of COVID-19 in the pediatric population. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term clinical outcomes of pediatric patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study involving unvaccinated children and adolescents admitted to a tertiary hospital in southern Brazil with a COVID-19 diagnosis. Data were collected from electronic medical records for one year after the diagnosis. Results: A total of 66 children were included: the median age was 2.9 years; 63.6% were male; and 48.5% were under 2 years of age. Over 70% had at least one comorbidity prior to the COVID-19 diagnosis. During the one-year follow-up period, 59.1% of the children revisited the emergency department, 50% required readmission, and 15.2% died. Younger children with longer hospital stays were found to be at greater risk of readmission. Having cancer and impaired functionality were found to increase the risk of death within one year. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that most children hospitalized with COVID-19 have comorbidities. Younger age at admission and a longer hospital stay seem to be risk factors for readmission. In addition, the presence of cancer and impaired functionality are apparently associated with the poor outcome of death within the first year after the diagnosis of COVID-19.

ABSTRACT Objective: To report the physiotherapeutic management of two pediatric cases with COVID-19 admitted in a reference state hospital to treat the disease in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. Cases description: Case 1, female, 10-month-old child, pre-existing chronic disease, hospitalized since birth, mechanical ventilation dependency via tracheotomy, progressed with hypoxemia, requiring oxygen therapy, and increased ventilator parameters, and a diagnosis of COVID-19 was confirmed. Airway clearance and pulmonary expansion maintenance therapies were performed. During hospitalization, the child acquired cephalic control, sitting without support, rolling, holding, and reaching objects. Recommendations were provided to a family member to maintain motor development milestones. Case 2, male, nine years old, previous psychiatric disease and obesity, showed worsening of the sensory state, requiring intensive care and invasive mechanical ventilation, with the diagnosis of SARS-Cov-2 infection. The physical therapy was performed to maintain airway clearance, pulmonary expansion, and early mobilization, showing ventilatory improvement during the intensive care hospitalization and successfully extubated after 17 days. The physical therapy evolved from passive to resistive exercises during the hospitalization, and the patient was able to walk without assistance at discharge, with the same previous functional status. Comments: The COVID-19 showed different manifestations in both cases. Physical therapy treatment was essential to maintain and to recover the functional status of the patients. Future studies are needed to improve the understanding of disease course and its functional consequences to offer an efficient treatment to pediatric patients with COVID-19.

ABSTRACT Purpose: to understand the effects that dialogical practices can have on the social participation and autonomy of people over 60 years old, as well as the way they face their own aging. Methods: this qualitative study was based on the dialogical discourse analysis, which considers language as the practice that organizes and signifies human actions. Thus, after dialogical practices developed during weekly meetings of 90 minutes, focused on oral, reading and writing activities related to elderly people´s life stories, the aged participants responded to a semi-structured interview. Results: the results allowed verifying that dialogical activities had positive effects on elderly people´s social participation and autonomy, so, they could have: a) more confidence and freedom to use the language; b) strength and reassurance to make decisions; c) more possibility to cope with aging; d) enhancement of their self-esteem and self-worth. Conclusion: it can be concluded that activities based on dialogical practices can promote an active, participatory aging, with a better quality of life.