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Background: To date, there are only sporadic reports of acute abdomen and appendicitis in children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Methods: Children 17 years of age or younger assessed in 5 Latin American countries with a diagnosis of microbiologically confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and children fulfilling MIS-C definition were included. For children with acute abdomen, we investigate main radiologic patterns, surgical treatment and intraoperative findings, outcomes. Findings: One-thousand ten children were enrolled. Forty-two children (4.2%) had a clinical diagnosis of acute abdomen. Four (9.5%) were diagnosed with MIS-C and did not undergo surgery. The remaining 38 children (3.8%) underwent abdominal surgery due to suspected appendicitis, 34 of them (89.7%) had an intraoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA), while 4 of them had nonsurgical findings. Eight children died (0.8%), none of them being diagnosed with appendicitis. Children with AA were significantly older than those without (P < 0.0001). Children with complicated appendicitis had more frequently fever (85.7% vs. 60%), intestinal distension on the abdominal radiograph (7.1% vs. none), leukocytosis (85.7% vs. 40%) and high levels of C-reactive protein (35.7% vs. 5%), although differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Our study showed that children may present with acute abdomen during COVID-19 or MIS-C, which is not always associated with intraoperative findings of appendicitis, particularly in case of MIS-C. Further studies are needed to better characterize children with acute abdomen during COVID-19 or MIS-C, to avoid delay in diagnosis of surgical conditions and at the same time, minimize unnecessary surgical approaches.

Aim: This study aims to assess rates of antibiotic prescriptions and its determinants in in children with COVID-19 or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C). Methods: Children

Background SARS CoV2 infection produces clinical manifestations of different severity. The pediatric population represents less than 10% of cases, with a mortality of less than 1%. The severity of the condition and mortality are mainly associated with comorbidities. There is controversy about the correlation between the viral load of SARS CoV2 in respiratory samples and the evolution and severity of the clinical picture. The CT (cycle threshold) in the detection of the SARS CoV 2 genome in respiratory samples can be used as an indirect indicator of the viral load in the analyzed samples. Goals to determine the correlation between the SARS CoV 2 CT values in the detection of the viral genome with the severity of the clinical picture. Describe the clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory characteristics of patients with PCR-confirmed SARS CoV2 infection in respiratory samples. Methods A retrospective, observational and analytical study that included patients under 15 years of age with confirmed SARS CoV2 infection by PCR of respiratory samples treated at the Hospital Isidoro Iriarte in the city of Quilmes between March 1 2020 and April 30, 2021. Results 485 patients (n) were included. The distribution by severity of the clinical picture was mild (84%, n = 408), moderate (12%, n = 59) and severe (4%, n = 18). Comorbidities were more frequent among patients with moderate and severe symptoms. Viral load was associated with severity of clinical manifestations. Patients with moderate and severe COVID19 required hospital admission more frequently for a longer time, the use of supplemental oxygen and antibiotics were more frequent in patients with moderate and severe symptoms. Symptoms of lower respiratory tract infection such as cough and respiratory distress were more frequent in patients with moderate and severe symptoms. No patient required admission to the ICU or mechanical ventilation. No patient died. Conclusion In this study, patients with moderate and severe COVID19 infection had a higher viral load in respiratory samples, a higher frequency of comorbidities, a higher frequency of hospitalization and a longer hospital stay. Lower respiratory symptoms were associated with moderate and severe symptoms, while odynophagia, vomiting, and diarrhea were associated with mild clinical symptoms. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

SummaryData from adult studies how that COVID-19 is more severe in men than women. However, no data are available for the pediatric population. For this reason, we performed this study aiming to understand if sex influenced disease severity and outcomes in a large cohort of latin-american children with COVID-19 and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C). We found that a higher percentage of male children developed MIS-C (8.9% vs 5% in females) and died (1.2% and 0.4% in females), although on multivariate adjusted analyses the only statistically significant difference was found in need of hospitalization, with females less frequently admitted compared with boys (25.6% vs 35.4%). This data are preliminary and need further independent studies to better assess the role of sex.

BackgroundTo date, there are no comprehensive data on antibiotic use in children with COVID-19 and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C).MethodsMulticenter cohort study from 5 Latin American countries. Children 17 years of age or younger with microbiologically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection or fulfilling MIS-C definition were included. Antibiotic prescriptions were collected and factors associated with their use were calculated.Findings990 children were included, with a median age of 3 years (interquartile range 1–9). Of these, 69 (7.0%) were diagnosed with MIS-C. The prevalence of antibiotic use was 24.5% (n = 243). MIS-C with (OR = 45.48) or without (OR = 10.35) cardiac involvement, provision of intensive care (OR = 9.60), need for hospital care (OR = 6.87), pneumonia and/or ARDS detected through chest X-rays (OR = 4.40), administration of systemic corticosteroids (OR = 4.39), oxygen support, mechanical ventilation or CPAP (OR = 2.21), pyrexia (OR = 1.84), and female sex (OR = 1.50) were independently associated with increased use of antibiotics. On the contrary, lower respiratory tract infections without radiologic evidence of pneumonia/ARDS and not requiring respiratory support (OR = 0.34) were independently associated with decreased use of antibiotics. There was significant variation in antibiotic use across the hospitals.ConclusionsOur study showed a relatively high rate of antibiotic prescriptions in children with COVID-19 and in particular in those with severe disease or MIS-C. Importantly, we found a significant variation in reasons for prescriptions of antibiotics and type of chosen therapies, as well in hospital practices, highlighting current uncertainties and lack of guidelines for the recognition of bacterial infections in children with COVID-19. Prospective studies are needed to provide better evidence on the recognition and management of bacterial infections in COVID-19 children.What is knownCOVID-19 may worsen antibiotic prescription practicesWhat this newCOVID-19 and MIS-C children frequently received antibioticsThere was a wide variation in antibiotic prescriptions among institutions, highlighting the lack of practicle guidelines in the use of antibiotics in children with COVID-19