Rescue of four pediatric patients with severe influenza A (H3N2) in Weifang, China

In this report, we summarize our experience of rescuing four children with severe type A H3N2 influenza from January to February 2017 in Weifang People's Hospital, Shandong Province, China for reference in clinical treatment. Two boys and two girls, ranging in age from 3 months to 6 years, with fever, cough, and asthma, were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. All children had severe pulmonary infection with respiratory distress. Three children had myocardial damage, two had liver damage, and one had encephalitis. One child had a history of bronchial asthma and one had severe spinal muscular atrophy. After all four children were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit, they were provided active and effective organ function support and ventilator-assisted respiration. They were treated with gamma globulin, methylprednisolone, and antibiotics. Three children were treated with anti-influenza drugs and recovered from influenza; one child died even before antiviral treatment intervention on the first day. Definite diagnosis of the cases was through clinical manifestations, supplemented by laboratory tests, such as influenza virus H3N2 rapid antigen detection and nucleic acid detection. Early antiviral therapy, high-dose glucocorticoids and immunoglobulins, and systemic comprehensive rescue might be important for rescuing children with severe influenza A (H3N2).