Premium
Performance of risk stratification criteria in the management of febrile young infants younger than three months of age
Author(s) -
Belov Yekaterina,
Leibovitz Eugene,
Vodonos Alina,
Hazan Guy,
Ling Eduard,
Melamed Rimma
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.14134
Subject(s) - medicine , pediatrics , incidence (geometry) , risk stratification , retrospective cohort study , ethnic group , physics , sociology , anthropology , optics
Aim We evaluated the diagnosis, risk stratification and management of febrile infants under three months of age who presented to an Israeli paediatric emergency room ( ER ). Methods This retrospective study enrolled all febrile infants examined in the paediatric ER of Soroka Medical Center during 2010–2013. The patients were classified into low‐risk and high‐risk subgroups and compared by age and ethnicity. Results Overall, 2251 febrile infants (60.5% of Bedouin and 34.4% of Jewish ethnicity) were enrolled. Hospitalisation rates were higher among Bedouin vs. Jewish infants (55 vs. 39.8%, p < 0.001). Fever without localising signs was diagnosed in 1028 (45.6%) infants and 499 (48.5%) were hospitalised; 26% were stratified as high‐risk and 74% as low‐risk. Bedouin infants rates were more likely to be at high‐risk (p = 0.001) and hospitalised (p < 0.001) than Jewish infants. With regard to low‐risk infants, the incidence rates were higher before two months than two to three months of age (73.3 vs. 59%, p < 0.001), as were the hospitalisation rates (46.3 vs. 20.1%, p < 0.001). No differences were recorded for the hospitalisation rates of Bedouin and Jewish infants between the three daily shifts. Conclusion Major differences were recorded in hospitalisation rates, risk stratification and management of Bedouin and Jewish infants with fever without localising signs.