CLINICAL, LABORATORY FINDINGS, ETIOLOGIES, AND TREATMENT OUTCOMES WITHIN THE FIRST 24 HOURS OF RESPIRATORY FAILURE IN CHILDREN ADMITTED AT THAI BINH PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL, 2025–2026

Objective: To describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics, etiological groups, and clinical status after 24 hours of treatment among children aged 2 to <60 months with respiratory failure at Thai Binh Pediatric Hospital in 2025–2026. Methods: This descriptive ambispective study included 132 children treated in the Emergency Department between March 2025 and February 2026. Clinical findings, laboratory results, etiological groups, SpO₂ categories, and clinical status at 24 hours were collected from medical records and a standardized case report form. Results: Boys accounted for 64.4% of participants. Common findings included cough (96.2%), dyspnea (84.9%), tachypnea (84.1%), chest retractions (99.2%), and abnormal lung sounds (99.2%). Pulmonary diseases accounted for 94.7% of cases. Blood gas analysis was performed in 50/132 children and therefore represented only the selected subgroup tested. At 24 hours, 109 children (82.6%) had SpO₂ >95%, none had SpO₂ <85%, 128 (97.0%) were recorded as stable, and 4 (3.0%) were recorded as deteriorated or dead. Conclusion: Pulmonary disease was the most frequently recorded etiological group. After 24 hours of routine treatment, the SpO₂ distribution shifted toward higher categories and most children were recorded as stable; however, the descriptive design does not establish treatment effectiveness or causality.