Evaluation of respiratory symptoms in the emergency department of Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSP: low clinical suspicion of tuberculosis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1679-9836.v80i2-4p89-94Keywords:
Respiratory tract diseases/epidemiology, Sputum/microbiology, Emergency medical services, Hospitals, teaching, Tuberculosis, Pumonary/diagnosis.Abstract
In countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis, such as Brazil, the World Health Organization (WHO)
recommends that all patients with productive cough lasting 3 weeks or longer be evaluated with a sputum smear for acidfast
bacilli. Objective: To determine the percentage of patients with such characteristics evaluated with a sputum smear
in the ED of our hospital. Methods: We performed a cross- sectional study, identifying all the patients with productive
cough lasting three weeks or more among those seen in the ED during February, 2000. We determined the percentage
of patients evaluated with sputum smear. Results: Among 14780 files, we selected 55 of patients presenting productive
cough three weeks long or more. Sputum smear for acid- fast bacilli was performed in 9 (16.4%) of those patients. Three
of them had tuberculosis (33.3%). Conclusion: Despite published guidelines, only 16.4% of the patients presenting
productive cough three weeks long or more were evaluated with sputum smear for acid-fast bacilli in our sample.
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