Outcome of Febrile Infants ≤3 Months of Age Admitted to the Emergency Department of a Belgian Tertiary Pediatric Hospital
(2024) Belgian Journal of Pediatrics — Vol. 26, n° 2, p. 131-135 (2024)
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- Background: Fever in infants under 3 months of age is a frequent cause for visits to the pediatric emergency department. Most children present with fever without a source and undergo multiple medical examinations to rule out serious bacterial infection (SBI), which often results in hospitalization. This study aimed to document fever outcomes in newborns and infants under 3 months old based on hospitalization data. The goal was to find a prediction rule that would enable healthcare professionals to identify febrile infants at risk for SBI. Methods: A single-center retrospective study was conducted, covering the period from January 2016 to December 2022. In total, 150 infants aged up to 3 months old were admitted for fever without a source at the emergency department of Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc in Brussels, Belgium. The patient's medical history, clinical presentation, and complementary test results were analyzed to identify predictors of SBI. Results: The results showed a significant increase in C-reactive protein levels (CRP=12.8mg/L in SBI cases; 5.5mg/L in viral infection cases, p-value=0.04) and neutrophil numbers in BI cases in children under 4 weeks old. No anamnestic or clinical factors were found to effectively differentiate febrile children aged less than 3 months at risk of developing SBI. Conclusion: Further investigations are necessary to identify infants at risk for SBI using new biological parameters, including procalcitonin levels. The management protocol for these children must be re-evaluated to determine which complementary tests should be performed, whether hospitalization is necessary, and which patients are eligible for admission.
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Bouharmont, C., Maure, A., VANDESCUREN, I., Godefroid, N., Ranguelov, N., Hermans, D., Goubau, C., Berardis, S., Malek Abrahimians, E., Van der Linden, D., Chatzis, O., & Lysy, P. (2024). Outcome of Febrile Infants ≤3 Months of Age Admitted to the Emergency Department of a Belgian Tertiary Pediatric Hospital. Belgian Journal of Pediatrics, 26(2), 131-135. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/235897 (Original work published 2024)