Well-appearing Febrile Infants Research Articles

Improving Guideline-Concordant Care for Febrile Infants Through a Quality Improvement Initiative.

We aimed to examine the impact of a quality improvement (QI) collaborative on adherence to specific recommendations within the American Academy of Pediatrics' Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for well-appearing febrile infants aged 8 to 60 days. Concurrent with CPG release in August 2021, we initiated a QI collaborative involving 103 general and children's hospitals across the United States and Canada. We developed a multifaceted intervention bundle to improve adherence to CPG recommendations for 4 primary measures and 4 secondary measures, while tracking 5 balancing measures. Primary measures focused on guideline recommendations where deimplementation strategies were indicated. We analyzed data using statistical process control (SPC) with baseline and project enrollment from November 2020 to October 2021 and the intervention from November 2021 to October 2022. Within the final analysis, there were 17 708 infants included. SPC demonstrated improvement across primary and secondary measures. Specifically, the primary measures of appropriately not obtaining cerebrospinal fluid in qualifying infants and appropriately not administering antibiotics had the highest adherence at the end of the collaborative (92.4% and 90.0% respectively). Secondary measures on parent engagement for emergency department discharge of infants 22 to 28 days and oral antibiotics for infants 29 to 60 days with positive urinalyses demonstrated the greatest changes with collaborative-wide improvements of 16.0% and 20.4% respectively. Balancing measures showed no change in missed invasive bacterial infections. A QI collaborative with a multifaceted intervention bundle was associated with improvements in adherence to several recommendations from the AAP CPG for febrile infants.

Management of well-appearing febrile young infants aged ≤90 days

Abstract The evaluation and management of young infants presenting with fever remains an area of significant practice variation. While most well-appearing febrile young infants have a viral illness, identifying those at risk for invasive bacterial infections, specifically bacteremia and bacterial meningitis, is critical. This statement considers infants aged ≤90 days who present with a rectal temperature ≥38.0°C but appear well otherwise. Applying recent risk-stratification criteria to guide management and incorporating diagnostic testing with procalcitonin are advised. Management decisions for infants meeting low-risk criteria should reflect the probability of disease, consider the balance of risks and potential harm, and include parents/caregivers in shared decision-making when options exist. Optimal management may also be influenced by pragmatic considerations, such as access to diagnostic investigations, observation units, tertiary care, and follow-up. Special considerations such as temperature measurement, risk for invasive herpes simplex infection, and post-immunization fever are also discussed.

Race, Ethnicity, Language, and the Treatment of Low-Risk Febrile Infants

Febrile infants at low risk of invasive bacterial infections are unlikely to benefit from lumbar puncture, antibiotics, or hospitalization, yet these are commonly performed. It is not known if there are differences in management by race, ethnicity, or language. To investigate associations between race, ethnicity, and language and additional interventions (lumbar puncture, empirical antibiotics, and hospitalization) in well-appearing febrile infants at low risk of invasive bacterial infection. This was a multicenter retrospective cross-sectional analysis of infants receiving emergency department care between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019. Data were analyzed from December 2022 to July 2023. Pediatric emergency departments were determined through the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Collaborative Research Committee. Well-appearing febrile infants aged 29 to 60 days at low risk of invasive bacterial infection based on blood and urine testing were included. Data were available for 9847 infants, and 4042 were included following exclusions for ill appearance, medical history, and diagnosis of a focal infectious source. Infant race and ethnicity (non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and other race or ethnicity) and language used for medical care (English and language other than English). The primary outcome was receipt of at least 1 of lumbar puncture, empirical antibiotics, or hospitalization. We performed bivariate and multivariable logistic regression with sum contrasts for comparisons. Individual components were assessed as secondary outcomes. Across 34 sites, 4042 infants (median [IQR] age, 45 [38-53] days; 1561 [44.4% of the 3516 without missing sex] female; 612 [15.1%] non-Hispanic Black, 1054 [26.1%] Hispanic, 1741 [43.1%] non-Hispanic White, and 352 [9.1%] other race or ethnicity; 3555 [88.0%] English and 463 [12.0%] language other than English) met inclusion criteria. The primary outcome occurred in 969 infants (24%). Race and ethnicity were not associated with the primary composite outcome. Compared to the grand mean, infants of families that use a language other than English had higher odds of the primary outcome (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]; 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01-1.33). In secondary analyses, Hispanic infants, compared to the grand mean, had lower odds of hospital admission (aOR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.63-0.93). Compared to the grand mean, infants of families that use a language other than English had higher odds of hospital admission (aOR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.08-1.46). Among low-risk febrile infants, language used for medical care was associated with the use of at least 1 nonindicated intervention, but race and ethnicity were not. Secondary analyses highlight the complex intersectionality of race, ethnicity, language, and health inequity. As inequitable care may be influenced by communication barriers, new guidelines that emphasize patient-centered communication may create disparities if not implemented with specific attention to equity.

Bacterial coinfection in young febrile infants with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

We aimed to assess the prevalence of serious bacterial infections (SBIs) in febrile infants < 90days of age with SARS-CoV-2 infection versus SARS-CoV-2-negative febrile infants.A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary pediatric emergency department between March 2020 and October 2022. Febrile infants < 90days of age who underwent SARS-CoV-2 testing were included. SBIs were defined as urinary tract infection (UTI), bacteremia, and/or bacterial meningitis; bacteremia and bacterial meningitis were considered invasive bacterial infections (IBIs). SBIs rates were compared between SARS-CoV-2-positive and negative infants and stratified by age.We included 779 infants: 221 (28.4%) SARS-CoV-2-positive and 558 (71.6%) SARS-CoV-2-negative. The SBI rate in the SARS-CoV-2-positive group was 5.9% vs 22.9% in the SARS-CoV-2-negative group (p < 0.001; relative risk (RR) 0.26; [95% CI 0.15-0.44]); the most common infections were UTI (5.4% vs 22.0%; p < 0.001). The IBI rate was 0.5% in the SARS-CoV-2-positive group vs. 3.2% in the negative group (p = 0.024; RR 0.14 [95% CI 0.02-1.04]). There were no cases of bacterial meningitis in the positive infants. SARS-CoV-2-positive infants > 28days of age had a decreased likelihood of SBI (RR 0.22 [95% CI 0.11-0.43]), with no cases of IBI identified. Conclusions: Febrile infants < 90days of age with SARS-CoV-2 infection are at significantly lower risk of SBIs than those who are SARS-CoV-2-negative. Nevertheless, the rate of UTI remains considerable in SARS-CoV-2-positive infants. SARS-CoV-2 detection may be relevant in considering IBI risk for well-appearing febrile infants 29-89days of age. What is Known: • Febrile infants with laboratory-confirmed viral infections have a significantly lower risk of serious bacterial infections when compared to those without them. Data focusing on very young febrile infants with a SARS-CoV-2 infection is still limited. What is New: • Young febrile infants with SARS-CoV-2 infection are at significantly lower risk of serious bacterial infections than those who are SARS-CoV-2-negative. Nevertheless, the rate of urinary tract infection remains considerable. SARS-CoV-2 detection may be relevant in considering invasive bacterial infection risk for well-appearing febrile infants 29-89days of age.

287 Epidemiology of Well-Appearing Febrile Infants (&lt;60 days) Presenting to an Emergency Department During the COVID-19 Pandemic

287 Epidemiology of Well-Appearing Febrile Infants (&lt;60 days) Presenting to an Emergency Department During the COVID-19 Pandemic

FeBRILe3: Safety Evaluation of Febrile Infant Guidelines Through Prospective Bayesian Monitoring.

Despite evidence supporting earlier discharge of well-appearing febrile infants at low risk of serious bacterial infection (SBI), admissions for ≥48 hours remain common. Prospective safety monitoring may support broader guideline implementation. A sequential Bayesian safety monitoring framework was used to evaluate a new hospital guideline recommending early discharge of low-risk infants. Hospital readmissions within 7 days of discharge were regularly assessed against safety thresholds, derived from historic rates and expert opinion, and specified a priori (8 per 100 infants). Infants aged under 3 months admitted to 2 Western Australian metropolitan hospitals for management of fever without source were enrolled (August 2019-December 2021), to a prespecified maximum 500 enrolments. Readmission rates remained below the prespecified threshold at all scheduled analyses. Median corrected age was 34 days, and 14% met low-risk criteria (n = 71). SBI was diagnosed in 159 infants (32%), including urinary tract infection (n = 140) and bacteraemia (n = 18). Discharge occurred before 48 hours for 192 infants (38%), including 52% deemed low-risk. At study completion, 1 of 37 low-risk infants discharged before 48 hours had been readmitted (3%), for issues unrelated to SBI diagnosis. In total, 20 readmissions were identified (4 per 100 infants; 95% credible interval 3, 6), with >0.99 posterior probability of being below the prespecified noninferiority threshold, indicating acceptable safety. A Bayesian monitoring approach supported safe early discharge for many infants, without increased risk of readmission. This framework may be used to embed safety evaluations within future guideline implementation programs to further reduce low-value care.

Performance of AAP Clinical Practice Guideline for Febrile Infants at One Pediatric Hospital.

In the absence of procalcitonin, the American Academy of Pediatrics' clinical practice guideline (CPG) for evaluating and managing febrile infants recommends using previously untested combinations of inflammatory marker thresholds. Thus, CPG performance in detecting invasive bacterial infections (IBIs; bacteremia, bacterial meningitis) is poorly understood. To evaluate CPG performance without procalcitonin in detecting IBIs in well-appearing febrile infants 8 to 60 days old. For this cross-sectional, single-site study, we manually abstracted data for febrile infants using electronic health records from 2011 to 2018. We used CPG inclusion/exclusion criteria to identify eligible infants and stratified IBI risk with CPG inflammatory marker thresholds for temperature, absolute neutrophil count, and C-reactive protein. Because the CPG permits a wide array of interpretations, we performed 3 sensitivity analyses, modifying age and inflammatory marker thresholds. For each approach, we calculated area-under-the-receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity in detecting IBIs. For this study, 507 infants met the inclusion criteria. For the main analysis, we observed an area-under-the-receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.673 (95% confidence interval 0.652-0.694), sensitivity of 100% (66.4%-100%), and specificity of 34.5% (30.4%-38.9%). For the sensitivity analyses, sensitivities were all 100% and specificities ranged from 9% to 38%. Findings suggest that the CPG is highly sensitive, minimizing missed IBIs, but specificity may be lower than previously reported. Future studies should prospectively investigate CPG performance in larger, multisite samples.

Cost modelling incorporating procalcitonin for the risk stratification of febrile infants ≤60 days old.

Procalcitonin testing is recommended to discriminate febrile young infants at risk of serious bacterial infections (SBI). However, this test is not available in many clinical settings, limited largely by cost. This study sought to evaluate contemporary real-world costs associated with the usual care of febrile young infants, and estimate impact on clinical trajectory and costs when incorporating procalcitonin testing. We assessed hospital-level door-to-discharge costs of all well-appearing febrile infants aged ≤60 days, evaluated at a tertiary paediatric hospital between April/2016 and March/2019. Emergency Department and inpatient expense data for usual care were obtained from the institutional general ledger, validated by the provincial Ministry of Health. These costs were then incorporated into a probabilistic model of risk stratification for an equivalent simulated cohort, with the addition of procalcitonin. During the 3-year study period, 1168 index visits were included for analysis. Real-world median costs-per-infant were the following: $3266 (IQR $2468 to $4317, n=93) for hospitalized infants with SBIs; $2476 (IQR $1974 to $3236, n=530) for hospitalized infants without SBIs; $323 (IQR $286 to $393, n=538) for discharged infants without SBIs; and, $3879 (IQR $3263 to $5297, n=7) for discharged infants subsequently hospitalized for missed SBIs. Overall median cost-per-infant of usual care was $1555 (IQR $1244 to $2025), compared to a modelled cost of $1389 (IQR $1118 to $1797) with the addition of procalcitonin (10.7% overall cost savings; $1,816,733 versus $1,622,483). Under pessimistic and optimistic model assumptions, savings were 5.9% and 14.9%, respectively. Usual care of febrile young infants is variable and resource intensive. Increased access to procalcitonin testing could improve risk stratification at lower overall costs.

Is eating slow or fast better for children?

Eating behaviors are an important component of risk for childhood obesity. These behaviors, which include the frequency of eating, the time of day that food is ingested, whether or not breakfast is a regular meal, and whether or not children are watching television while eating. One aspect of eating behavior that has not been well studied is eating speed. In some studies, it has been suggested that eating quickly may be associated with higher energy intake and increased BMI. In this volume of The Journal, Garcidueñas-Fimbres et al assessed the relationships among eating speed, adiposity, diet quality, and cardiometabolic risk factors in preschool children. They found that faster eating is associated with greater adiposity, lower adherence to a high-quality diet, as well as higher systolic blood pressure and higher fasting plasma glucose. These results suggest the potential for a behavioral intervention focused on slower eating and increased chewing as a possible approach to prevention of obesity or as a component of treatment of obesity. Article page 31 Following Birth Hospitalization: Invasive Bacterial Infections in Preterm Infants Aged 7-90 DaysThe Journal of PediatricsVol. 252PreviewTo assess the incidence rate of invasive bacterial infections in preterm infants and compare invasive bacterial infection rates and pathogens between preterm and full-term infants at age 7-90 days. Full-Text PDF Clostridioides difficile Infection in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients: Comparisons of Epidemiology, Testing, and Treatment from 2013 to 2019The Journal of PediatricsVol. 252PreviewTo compare the incidence, epidemiology, testing patterns, treatment, and outcomes of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) among hospitalized pediatric patients from 2013 to 2019. Full-Text PDF Extended Risk of Mortality in Children with Inborn Errors of Metabolism: A Longitudinal Cohort StudyThe Journal of PediatricsVol. 252PreviewTo determine the long-term risk of mortality among children with inborn errors of metabolism. Full-Text PDF Associations Between Eating Speed, Diet Quality, Adiposity, and Cardiometabolic Risk FactorsThe Journal of PediatricsVol. 252PreviewTo assess the associations between eating speed, adiposity, cardiometabolic risk factors, and diet quality in a cohort of Spanish preschool-children. Full-Text PDF Open AccessFebrile Preterm Infants: They are Not Just Small Febrile, Term InfantsThe Journal of PediatricsVol. 252PreviewAnnually, more than 200 000 febrile infants younger than 90 days are evaluated in US emergency departments and other outpatient settings.1 Although urinary tract infections are common in these infants, the main concerns involve invasive bacterial infections, defined by bacteremia or bacterial meningitis. The reported invasive bacterial infection rates range from approximately 1% to 5% in prospective studies, with higher rates in the youngest infants.2-4 To address the persistent variability in care of these febrile infants despite substantial research performed over several decades, the American Academy of Pediatrics published guidelines for the management of well-appearing febrile infants 8-60 days old. Full-Text PDF

Boston Febrile Infant Algorithm 2.0: Improving Care of the Febrile Infant 1-2 Months of Age.

The algorithm's risk stratification was revised based on the expert review of evidence regarding test performance of PCT for IBI in febrile infants. With the revision, routine LP and empiric antibiotics were not recommended for low-risk infants. We used quality improvement strategies to disseminate the revised algorithm and reinforce uptake. The primary outcomes were the proportion of infants undergoing lumbar punctures or receiving antibiotics. Admission rates, 72-hour revisits requiring admission, and missed IBI were monitored as balancing measures. We studied 616 infants including 326 (52.9%), after the implementation of the revised algorithm. LP was performed in 66.2% prerevision and 31.9% postrevision (34.3% absolute reduction, P < 0.001). Antibiotic administration decreased by 26.2% (pre 62.4% to post 36.2%, P < 0.001) and hospitalization rates decreased by 8.1% (P = 0.03). There have been no missed IBIs. Adherence to the pathway led to a sustained reduction in LPs and antibiotic administration for 24 months. A revised pathway with the addition of PCT resulted in a safe, sustained reduction in LPs and reduced antibiotic administration in febrile infants 1-2 months of age.

A Comparison of Temperature Thresholds to Begin Laboratory Evaluation of Well-Appearing Febrile Infants.

Young infants who develop fever are at an increased risk for serious infection. It is unclear, however, what temperature cutoff would be optimal to begin evaluating these infants because some criteria use different thresholds. We sought to determine the percentage of infants presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) with a temperature less than 38.2°C who develop serious infection compared with those with higher temperatures. We used a publicly available dataset from the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network. Patients were included if they were aged 60 days or younger, had a documented rectal temperature of 38.0°C or higher in the ED or a history of fever within 24 hours before presentation to the ED, and were being evaluated for serious infection. We used the same exclusion criteria as the original Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network study but further excluded those who were ill-appearing (Yale Observation Score > 10). Serious infections included any of the following: urinary tract infection, bacteremia, bacterial or herpes meningitis, bacterial pneumonia, or bacterial enteritis. Data were described using frequencies (percentages) and compared between groups using χ 2 test. Of the 4619 eligible infants, 1311 (28.4%) had a temperature lower than 38.2°C. Infants with temperatures lower than 38.2°C were significantly less likely to have a serious infection compared with those with higher temperatures (97 [7.5%] vs 365 [11.2%], P < 0.001). Of the infants with temperatures lower than 38.2°C who were tested, 67 (5.8%) had a urinary tract infection, 10 (0.8%) had bacteremia, 3 (0.4%) had bacterial meningitis, 3 (2.9%) had herpes meningitis, 17 (4.5%) had bacterial pneumonia, and 2 (4.8%) had bacterial enteritis. In this study, we found that infants with temperatures lower than 38.2°C were significantly less likely to have a serious infection than those with higher temperatures. Using an evaluation cutoff of 38.2°C, however, would likely miss a clinically important number of well-appearing infants with serious infections.

Prevalence and Management of Invasive Bacterial Infections in Febrile Infants Ages 2 to 6 Months

Validated prediction rules identify febrile neonates at low risk for invasive bacterial infection. The optimal approach for older febrile infants, however, remains uncertain. We performed a retrospective cohort and nested case-control study of infants 2 to 6 months of age presenting with fever (≥38.0 °C) to 1 of 5 emergency departments. The study period was from 2011 to 2019. The primary outcome was invasive bacterial infection, defined by the growth of pathogenic bacteria from either blood or cerebrospinal fluid culture. Secondary outcomes included obtaining bacterial cultures (blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or urine), administering antibiotics, and hospitalization. For the nested case-control study, we age-matched infants with invasive bacterial infection to 3 infants without invasive bacterial infection, sampled from the overall cohort. There were 21,150 eligible patient encounters over 9-years, and 101 infants had a documented invasive bacterial infection (0.48%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39% to 0.58%). Invasive bacterial infection prevalence ranged from 0.2% to 0.6% among the 5 sites. The frequency of bacterial cultures ranged from 14.5% to 53.5% for blood, 1.6% to 12.9% for cerebrospinal fluid, and 31.8% to 63.2% for urine. Antibiotic administration varied from 19.2% to 46.7% and hospitalization from 16.6% to 28.3%. From the case-control study, the estimated invasive bacterial infection prevalence for previously healthy, not pretreated, and well-appearing febrile infants was 0.32% (95% CI, 0.24% to 0.41%). Although invasive bacterial infections were uncommon among febrile infants 2 to 6 months in the emergency department, the approach to diagnosis and management varied widely between sites. Therefore, evidence-based guidelines are needed to reduce low-value testing and treatment while avoiding missing infants with invasive bacterial infections.

COVID-19 Infection in Well-Appearing 30- to 90-Day-Old Infants with Fever without a Source.

ABSTRACT Fever without a source (FWS) is common clinical status in the young infants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and laboratory findings of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection in well-appearing infants with FWS. Well-appearing febrile infants between 30 and 90 days who were evaluated as FWS in the pediatric emergency department and tested for COVID-19 were divided into two groups: COVID-19 (+) and (−). The clinical and laboratory findings of the patients were compared. The study included 95 febrile infants with FWS, and the mean age was 59.62 ± 16.82 days. The nasopharyngeal COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test results of 29/95 (30.5%) patients were positive, while 66/95 (69.5%) were negative. The complaints of irritability and nasal congestion were found to be significantly more common in COVID-19-positive patients (p = 0.04 and p = 0.041, respectively). The hospitalization rate (p = 0.009), length of hospital stay (p = 0.026), initiation of antibiotic treatment (p < 0.001) and duration of antibiotic treatment (p = 0.036) were significantly lower in the COVID-19 (+) patients. The C-reactive protein (CRP, p < 0.001), absolute neutrophil count (ANC, p < 0.001), absolute lymphocyte count (ALC, p = 0.015), white blood cell (WBC, p < 0.001) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII, p < 0.001) were found to be significantly lower in the COVID-19 (+) patient group. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of neutropenia, lymphopenia or leukopenia. COVID-19 infection may present as an FWS. During the pandemic period, testing for COVID-19 among infants who were evaluated as FWS may reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and antibiotic treatments, and shorten hospital stays and duration of antibiotics.

A Culture of Too Many Blood Cultures.

A Culture of Too Many Blood Cultures.

Guideline-Based Risk Stratification for Febrile Young Infants Without Procalcitonin Measurement.

Guideline-Based Risk Stratification for Febrile Young Infants Without Procalcitonin Measurement.

286 Disparities in the Management of Low-Risk Febrile Infants: An Interim Feasibility Report

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Well-appearing febrile infants are a model for exploring communication, bias, and health disparities in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Using mixed methods, we will perform an in-depth analysis of disparities and shared decision making, a potentially modifiable driver of inequities. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We will conduct a multicenter cross-sectional chart review study of well-appearing febrile infants 29-60 days old treated in the ED and apply multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between 1) race/ethnicity and 2) limited English proficiency with the primary outcome, discharge to home without lumbar puncture and without antibiotics (standard of care). We will concurrently perform an interpretive study using purposive sampling to conduct interviews with: 1) minority parents of febrile infants and 2) ED physicians. By capturing dyadic data, we will triangulate perspectives to elucidate disparities and bias that can emerge in the shared decision making process. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Forty member institutions of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Collaborative Research Committee are participating, providing a projected cohort of 3000 infants. In the 6 months since site recruitment, 235 eligible infants have been entered into the dataset (43% minority race/ethnicity, 6% language other than English), 61% of whom received the primary outcome. Chart review has the benefits of 1) ensuring exclusion of ill infants, 2) providing data on interpreter use that is unavailable in administrative datasets, and 3) allowing an analysis of shared decision making. These findings will inform an interpretive study of parent and provider experiences of bias in shared decision making. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: We demonstrate the feasibility of a large-scale manual chart review to analyze disparities within a shared decision making context. Partnered with qualitative scholarship, this research will support the development of communication interventions to mitigate implicit bias in the clinical encounter.

Sufficient Blood Culture Volume

In reading the guideline “Evaluation and Management of Well-Appearing Febrile Infants 8 to 60 Days Old,”1 I hoped the authors would have commented on the importance of technical aspects of blood cultures: both sample volume and ideal minimum sample to broth ratios.The consideration of the technical aspects of blood cultures is within the scope of the guideline because of the emphasis placed on IMs. The volume of blood required for IMs can exceed that required for more typical laboratory studies (complete blood cell count, etc). In cases in which limited volumes of blood are collected, a common challenge in young infants, any blood sent for IMs might decrease the blood volume included in the blood culture. Data suggest that the concentration of bacteremia is low in infants,2 current practice results in small volumes of blood obtained for culture,3 and rates of pathogen identification are improved with larger amounts of sample obtained.4The role of IMs in decision-making should be viewed in a historical context. In the article recommending the “step-by-step” approach to management of young infants, 7 of the 61 children (11%) aged 21 to 90 days old with “invasive bacterial infection” were not identified by the step-by-step approach.5 This compares with the 1 of 9 children (11%) aged 0 to 8 weeks old not identified by clinical examination alone in the seminal work by Roberts in 1977.6 I wonder if the subcommittee missed an opportunity to weigh the clinical benefits of decision-making pathways relying on IMs versus the importance of sufficient blood culture volumes. Although portions of a milliliter of blood diverted for IMs or other “routine” laboratory studies may seem trivial, it might be significant when data suggest that <1 mL of blood is frequently submitted for culture.3

105 Cost Analysis for the Risk-Stratification of Febrile Infants ≤ 60 Days Old

Abstract Primary Subject area Emergency Medicine - Paediatric Background Fever in the first months of life is among the most common clinical problems in pediatric healthcare. Nearly 2% of all infants will be evaluated for fever in an Emergency Department (ED) and approximately 10% harbor life-threatening serious bacterial infections (SBIs). The Rochester criteria are most widely used criteria for risk-stratification and predate modern biomarkers including procalcitonin (PCT). Recently, a high-performing prediction rule incorporating PCT was derived by the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN). At present, PCT is not available in all clinical settings, limited largely by test cost. Objectives Compare the medical costs associated with PECARN and Rochester risk-stratification strategies using contemporary price, epidemiologic and test characteristic data. Design/Methods We assessed hospital-level costs associated with the door-to-discharge care of all well-appearing febrile infants aged ≤ 60 days evaluated at an urban tertiary pediatric hospital between April 2016 and March 2019. Direct and indirect ED and inpatient costs were obtained from provincial Ministry of Health data. Real-world costs were then incorporated into a probabilistic model for a cohort of equal size using either Rochester or PECARN risk-stratification, accounting for the added incremental cost of PCT ($24.86CAD). Models used an 8.4% pooled SBI risk, and Sn/Sp for Rochester and PECARN of 94%/49% and 98%/63%, respectively. Modeling was calculated under 4 scenarios; true positive with hospitalization, false negative with return visit and hospitalization, false positive with hospitalization, true negative with ED discharge. All costs were calculated in Canadian dollars. Results During the 3-year study period, 1168 index infant encounters met inclusion and were analyzed for hospital trajectory costs. Median costs per infant were $323 (IQR $286-$393) for infants discharged from the ED with no SBI, $2356 (IQR $1858-$3120) for infants hospitalized with no SBI, $3150 (IQR $2352-$4201) for hospitalized infants treated for a SBI, and $3763 (IQR $2146-$5180) for infants discharged from the ED ultimately requiring hospitalization with a missed SBI. For a cohort of 1168 infants, cost-per-infant using PECARN risk-stratification was $1332 (IQR $1062-$1739), compared to $1515 (IQR $1198-$1992) using Rochester. PECARN criteria would be expected to produce an overall savings of 12.1% for the modeled cohort ($1,556,432 vs $1,769,339). Under pessimistic and optimistic model assumptions, total savings were 4.9% and 18.3%, respectively. Costs borne by families were not considered, nor were the indirect benefits of reduced unnecessary invasive testing, hospitalizations and broad-spectrum antibiotic use. Conclusion Risk-stratification of febrile infants using PECARN prediction rules would produce important cost-savings due to superior test characteristics offsetting upfront PCT-associated costs. Such a strategy would also likely result in unmodeled non-monetary family-centered and healthcare system benefits. Real-world cost-effectiveness studies are needed.

Christmas in July: New Guidelines for Managing Well-appearing Febrile Infants from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Christmas in July: New Guidelines for Managing Well-appearing Febrile Infants from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Development of the New AAP Febrile Infant Clinical Practice Guideline.

Development of the New AAP Febrile Infant Clinical Practice Guideline.