Guidelines for medical treatment of acute Kawasaki disease: report of the Research Committee of the Japanese Society of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery (2012 revised version).

The primary purpose of practical guidelines is to contribute to timely and appropriate diagnosis and treatment of a given disease or condition, in addition to providing current medical information on pathogenesis and treatment, as determined by specialists in the field. Guidelines, however, should not be considered procedure manuals that limit the treatment options of practitioners, because treatment modalities other than those recommended in such guidelines are often required. Such treatment choices are the result of comprehensive analysis of all medical circumstances, including patient condition, treatment option, and disease severity. Furthermore, certain drugs shown to be useful in studies conducted in other countries may not yet have been approved for use here in Japan. The results of clinical research (including randomized controlled trials) must be verified in subsequent research, and the safety and effectiveness of a particular treatment may take several months to confirm.