TY - JOUR
T1 - Performance of Febrile Infant Decision Tools on Hypothermic Infants Evaluated for Infection
AU - on behalf of the Hypothermic Young Infant Research Collaborative
AU - Westphal, Kathryn
AU - Adib, Hania
AU - Doraiswamy, Vignesh
AU - Basiago, Kevin
AU - Lee, Jennifer
AU - Banker, Sumeet L.
AU - Morrison, John
AU - McCartor, Saylor
AU - Berger, Stephanie
AU - Schmit, Erinn O.
AU - Van Meurs, Annalise
AU - Mitchell, Meredith
AU - Lee, Clifton
AU - Wood, Julie K.
AU - Tapp, Lauren G.
AU - Kunkel, Deborah
AU - Halvorson, Elizabeth E.
AU - Potisek, Nicholas M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
PY - 2024/3
Y1 - 2024/3
N2 - BACKGROUND: Given the lack of evidence-based guidelines for hypothermic infants, providers may be inclined to use febrile infant decision-making tools to guide management decisions. Our objective was to assess the diagnostic performance of febrile infant decision tools for identifying hypothermic infants at low risk of bacterial infection. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort study of hypothermic (#36.0 C) infants #90 days of age presenting to the emergency department or inpatient unit among 9 participating sites between September 1, 2016 and May 5, 2021. Well-appearing infants evaluated for bacterial infections via laboratory testing were included. Infants with complex chronic conditions or premature birth were excluded. Performance characteristics for detecting serious bacterial infection (SBI; urinary tract infection, bacteremia, bacterial meningitis) and invasive bacterial infection (IBI; bacteremia, bacterial meningitis) were calculated for each tool. RESULTS: Overall, 314 infants met the general inclusion criteria, including 14 cases of SBI (4.5%) and 7 cases of IBI (2.2%). The median age was 5 days, and 68.1% of the infants (214/314) underwent a full sepsis evaluation. The Philadelphia, Boston, IBI Score, and American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice Guideline did not misclassify any SBI or IBI as low risk; however, they had low specificity and positive predictive value. Rochester and Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network tools misclassified infants with bacterial infections. CONCLUSIONS: Several febrile infant decision tools were highly sensitive, minimizing missed SBIs and IBIs in hypothermic infants. However, the low specificity of these decision tools may lead to unnecessary testing, antimicrobial exposure, and hospitalization.
AB - BACKGROUND: Given the lack of evidence-based guidelines for hypothermic infants, providers may be inclined to use febrile infant decision-making tools to guide management decisions. Our objective was to assess the diagnostic performance of febrile infant decision tools for identifying hypothermic infants at low risk of bacterial infection. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort study of hypothermic (#36.0 C) infants #90 days of age presenting to the emergency department or inpatient unit among 9 participating sites between September 1, 2016 and May 5, 2021. Well-appearing infants evaluated for bacterial infections via laboratory testing were included. Infants with complex chronic conditions or premature birth were excluded. Performance characteristics for detecting serious bacterial infection (SBI; urinary tract infection, bacteremia, bacterial meningitis) and invasive bacterial infection (IBI; bacteremia, bacterial meningitis) were calculated for each tool. RESULTS: Overall, 314 infants met the general inclusion criteria, including 14 cases of SBI (4.5%) and 7 cases of IBI (2.2%). The median age was 5 days, and 68.1% of the infants (214/314) underwent a full sepsis evaluation. The Philadelphia, Boston, IBI Score, and American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice Guideline did not misclassify any SBI or IBI as low risk; however, they had low specificity and positive predictive value. Rochester and Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network tools misclassified infants with bacterial infections. CONCLUSIONS: Several febrile infant decision tools were highly sensitive, minimizing missed SBIs and IBIs in hypothermic infants. However, the low specificity of these decision tools may lead to unnecessary testing, antimicrobial exposure, and hospitalization.
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U2 - 10.1542/hpeds.2023-007525
DO - 10.1542/hpeds.2023-007525
M3 - Article
C2 - 38312006
AN - SCOPUS:85187117371
SN - 2154-1663
VL - 14
SP - 163
EP - 171
JO - Hospital pediatrics
JF - Hospital pediatrics
IS - 3
ER -