Positive Impact of Inpatient Respiratory Rehabilitation in a Rare Case of Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy

Acute necrotizing encephalopathy, also known as acute necrotizing encephalopathy of childhood (ANEC) is a rare disorder characterized by respiratory or gastrointestinal infections, high fever, and rapid changes in consciousness and seizures. ANEC is a rare form of encephalopathy characterized by multiple bilateral brain lesions, primarily involving the thalami and putamina internal and external capsules, cerebellar white matter, and the brainstem segmentum. Here we present, a rare case of acute necrotizing encephalopathy in a pediatric patient, a 13-year-old boy, who was admitted with acute onset of fever. The fever was intermittent and high grade along with chills, rigor, and respiratory distress five days back. The chest x-ray showed heterogeneous opacities in bilateral lung fields. Thalami, brainstem, cerebellum, and white matter have all been shown to have a symmetric lesion in this disease on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ventilation, immunoglobulin, and other supporting measures, as well as respiratory rehabilitation, were used to treat him. In pediatric intensive care units (PICU), physiotherapy is considered an important aspect of patient care. Respiratory rehabilitation included patients and their family member's counseling, airway clearance techniques, energy conservation methods, and adaptation to complex positions with the maintenance of oxygen saturation (SpO(2)). We conclude Respiratory rehabilitation with efficient family counseling is effective in the overall improvement of the patient’s condition with acute respiratory failure in acute necrotizing encephalopathy.