Pulmonary infections of surgical interest in childhood.

Thoracic surgeons often treat children with infections: pneumonia with abscess and/or empyema, multiresistant or complicated tuberculosis, or parasitic and fungal infections. The pediatric patient with serious infection presents anatomic and metabolic-functional frailty. Anesthesiologists and surgeons must consider this aspect to reduce surgical impairment and improve outcome. This article reviews the causes, pathophysiology, clinical aspects, diagnosis, and management of pleuropulmonary infections of surgical interest in childhood.