APPLICATION OF THE BACTERIAL PNEUMONIA SCORE (BPS) IN ASSESSING COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA IN CHILDREN AGED 2 MONTHS TO 5 YEARS AT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL 1, HO CHI MINH CITY
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Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the applicability of the Bacterial Pneumonia Score (BPS) in classifying the clinical and paraclinical characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 369 children aged 2–60 months with CAP admitted to the Respiratory Department, Children’s Hospital 1, from January 2023 to April 2025. The BPS was calculated based on temperature, age, absolute neutrophil count, band form percentage, and chest X-ray fndings. Patients were categorized into two groups: BPS <4 and BPS ≥4.
Results: The median age was 10 months; females accounted for 59.6%. The median BPS was 2 points; 81% of children had BPS <4 and 19% had BPS ≥4. BPS ≥4 was signifcantly associated with fever ≥39°C (61.4%, p<0.001), hypoxemia (21.4%, p<0.001), chest indrawing (84.3%, p=0.02), tachypnea (42.9%, p=0.045), CRP >35 mg/L (15.7%, p=0.044), and alveolar consolidation on chest X-ray (62%, p<0.001). Children with BPS ≥4 required less antibiotic change (4.3% vs. 12.7%, p=0.012). No signifcant diferences were observed regarding length of hospital stay or need for respiratory support.
Conclusion: BPS ≥4 was strongly associated with clinical and laboratory features suggestive of bacterial pneumonia and was linked to a lower need for antibiotic change, highlighting its practical value in the management of pediatric CAP.
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Keywords
community-acquired pneumonia, BPS, children, antibiotic stewardship
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