Risk factors for airway clearance dysfunction in children with severe pneumonia: a retrospective study of LASSO model.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the types and risk factors of airway clearance dysfunction (ACD) in children with severe pneumonia based on LASSO regression and multivariate Methods: This study was approved by the Hospital Ethics Committee. A retrospective study was conducted on 147 children with severe pneumonia admitted between January 2024 and October 2024. Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected, and the incidence and types of ACD were analyzed. Patients with ACD were assigned to the ACD group, while those without ACD were assigned to the non-ACD group. LASSO regression and multivariate Results: A total of 63 cases of ACD were observed among children with severe pneumonia, including ineffective coughing, thick sputum, dyspnea, nasal flaring/ increased nasal congestion, tachypnea, and oxygen saturation <93%, with an incidence rate of 42.86%. Significant differences were found between the ACD group and non-ACD group in terms of age, mechanical ventilation, nutritional status, comorbid respiratory failure, comorbid heart failure, pulmonary rales, and pulmonary rhonchi ( Conclusion: Children with severe pneumonia are at risk of developing ACD, which may be influenced by mechanical ventilation, CRP, PCT, IL-6, and IgA levels. These five factors can be used to assess the risk of ACD in children with severe pneumonia. Accordingly, clinical measures should be developed to improve airway clearance ability and promote recovery in these patients.