Chest Infection

Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are any infections below the vocal cords which affect the airways or the air sacs in the lungs. They include pneumonia, bronchitis and chest infections and are usually caused by viruses such as influenza, COVID-19 or Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), or by bacteria such as pneumococcus. LRTIs are common, particularly in older adults; in the UK approximately 15% of people aged over 65 years will experience a chest infection each year and many of those will need in-patient treatment. People who have had a chest infection may experience slow recovery after their infection. Patients often report that their quality of life is worse after an infection (for example persistent fatigue, reduced physical functioning, and mental health challenges) and this can affect the return to usual activities. However, there have not been many studies that have looked at how the quality of life changes in the months following a chest infection, and why some people take longer to recover. In this study, the investigators will use a well-recognised questionnaire to measure quality of life for up to one year in adults who have been admitted to hospital with a chest infection. The findings will help the investigators to assess how long-term quality of life is affected after a chest infection and what factors may affect it. The results will also permit calculation of the costs faced by patients during recovery from a chest infection, in financial terms. These results will feed into studies looking at ways of improving recovery after a chest infection.

This study aims to Primary Aims: Verify the predictability of the PLIS at admission in predicting major clinical outcomes including: * ICU mortality (or discharge) and time to death (or discharge) * Escalation of ventilatory support antibiotic therapy or supportive medications (inotropes, steroids, sedation, neuromuscular blockers). Secondary Aims: * Determine the correlation between initial PLIS and the degree of disease severity (as evaluated per SOFA and APACHE II scores) * Determine the correlation between initial PLIS and partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO2) to Fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2): PaO2/FiO2 * Explore the potential association between the type of ventilatory support, ventilatory settings and PLIS at different time points. * Verify whether the site of consolidation (anterior vs. posterior lung zones) can reliably predict mortality in in ALI patients. * Determine the correlation between the PLIS score and the degree of ALI as quantified by CT of the chest (whenever a CT study is available) at the time of admission.

This study aimed to analyses the clinical characteristics, risk factors and underlying causes as predictors of recurrent pneumonia in children attending AUCH