PEDIATRICS Vol. 66 No. 6 December 1980, pp. 1026
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Goldman, S. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Goldman, S. L.

Value of Tracheal Aspirates Questioned

Steven L. Goldman MD1

1 Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33152

The extensive study recently reported by Sherman and co-workers attempts to evaluate the use of early tracheal aspiration in diagnosing congenital pneumonia.1 Their findings are of interest and confirm some previous studies and clinical impressions.

However, the authors' conclusion that "early direct tracheal aspiration ... appears to be a specific ... procedure for the early diagnosis of congenital pneumonia" does not seem to be supported by the data they present.

Specifically, for their conclusion to be valid, a definite correlation of positive tracheal aspirates with presence of pneumonia must be made.