To investigate clinical course and outcome of dengue with acute respiratory failure (ARF), and to identify related risk factors for acquiring ARF in dengue, we retrospectively studied 11 dengue patients with ARF. From June to December 2002, a total of 606 adult patients were diagnosed as having dengue. Eleven (1.8%) of 606 dengue patients had complications of ARF. The main causes of ARF were sepsis (n = 6, 54.5%) and upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding (n = 3, 27.3%). The mortality rate was 72.7% (n = 8). Additionally, univariate analysis showed that age, dyspnea, cough, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, albumin, renal insufficiency, acute renal failure, acute hepatic failure, UGI bleeding, and combination bacterial infection were significantly predictive variables associated with dengue patients with ARF.

Measuring and applying the distance between the orifice of bronchus and the lesion could increase the diagnostic yield of EBUS-guided TBBs for PPLs.

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There has been no previously reported case series study regarding chest radiographic (CXR) presentations in dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) patients. We retrospectively studied 363 DHF patients from June to December 2002 in southern Taiwan, and a total of 468 CXRs were obtained and reviewed. More than 50% of these showed abnormalities after the 3rd day, with infiltration only and small pleural effusion as the major findings. Progressive changes during the first week and improvements during the second week were observed in these abnormal CXRs. The CXR presentation was also significantly correlated with laboratory findings (white blood cell count, platelet levels, activated partial thromboplastin time, and alanine aminotransferase and albumin levels), as well as the clinical course (renal insufficiency, liver function impairment, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, combination bacterial infection, and duration of admission) and outcome (mortality). The CXR may therefore be a modality for evaluating the clinical course of DHF and should be made during first week after the onset of illness.