[The adequacy of the defining characteristics of the diagnostics "impaired gas exange" and spontaneous ventilation" in asmathic children].

OBJECTIVE

To determine the diagnostic accuracy measures of defining characteristics of respiratory nursing diagnoses "impaired gas exchange" and "impaired spontaneous ventilation" in asmathics children in emergency department.

METHODS

Observational, descriptive transversal study developed between April and September 2013 in a hospital in northeastern Brazil with a sample of 205 children. Diagnoses were established by nurses trained experts in this field. Measures of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative value prediction right positive and negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds for the defining characteristics identified were calculated.

RESULTS

28.8% of the evaluated children had "impaired gas exchange". Dyspnea, abnormal breathing, tachycardia and hypoxemia had higher frequencies. Hypoxemia presented as clinical feature high sensitivity and specificity. 5.9% of the evaluated children had "impaired spontaneous ventilation" and their most frequent defining characteristics were dyspnea, increased heart rate and decreased SaO2. The increasing use of accessory muscles to breathe presented the best measures of validity for this diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

The hypoxemia and increased use of accessory muscles presented the best measures of the validity respectively to "deterioration in gas exchange" and "impairment of spontaneous ventilation". These characteristics is necessary to provide for adequate definition and use of diagnostics in clinical practice.