Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of hospital admissions due to bacterial infections reported in a multicenter study in children’s hospitals in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) between October 1st and December 31st, 2022
| Total | S. pyogenes | S. pneumoniae | H. influenzae | N. meningitidis | S. spp.a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 153 (100%) |
n = 58 (38%) |
n = 62 (41%) |
n = 19 (12%) |
n = 2 (1%) |
n = 12 (8%) |
|
| Male, n (%) | 86 (56%) | 39 (67%) | 30 (48%) | 10 (53%) | 1 (50%) | 6 (50%) |
| Age in years, median (IQR) | 4 (1–7) | 4 (2–7) | 2.5 (1–5) | 3 (0–6) | 9.5 (2–17) | 3.5 (0.5–8.5) |
| Viral co-infection, n (%) | 71 (46%) | 18 (31%) | 37 (60%) | 14 (74%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (17%) |
| RSV, n (%) | 21 (14%) | 2 (3%) | 10 (16%) | 8 (41%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (8%) |
| Influenza A/B, n (%) | 29 (19%) | 12 (21%) | 14 (23%) | 3 (16%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| SARS-CoV-2, n (%) | 3 (2%) | 1 (2%) | 2 (3%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Other, n (%) | 24 (16%) | 4 (7%) | 17 (27%) | 3 (16%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (8%) |
| Bacterial co-infection with H. influenzae, n (%) | 12 (8%) | 1 (2%) | 10 (16%) | - | 0 (0%) | 1 (8%) |
| Clinical presentation | ||||||
| Sepsis, SIRS, Toxic Shock, n (%) | 28 (18%) | 18 (31%) | 1 (2%) | 1 (5%) | 1 (50%) | 7 (58%) |
| E + ENT infections w/o cerebral invasion, n (%) | 22 (14%) | 16 (28%) | 3 (5%) | 2 (11%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (25%) |
| E + ENT infections w/ cerebral invasion, n (%) | 15 (5%) | 9 (2%) | 6 (10%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| CNS infection, n (%) | 15 (10%) | 5 (9%) | 4 (7%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (100%) | 4 (33%) |
| Pneumonia, n (%) | 91 (59%) | 22 (38%) | 51 (82%) | 15 (79%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (25%) |
| With pleural empyema | 37 (24%) | 16 (28%) | 19 (31%) | 2 (11%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (17%) |
| Skin and soft tissue infections, n (%) | 22 (14%) | 17 (29%) | 4 (7%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (8%) |
| Other infections, n (%) | 5 (3%) | 2 (3%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (5%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (25%) |
| Treatment | ||||||
| Resuscitation, n (%) | 6 (4%) | 5 (9%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (5%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| PICU admission, n (%) | 90 (59%) | 29 (50%) | 42 (68%) | 12 (63%) | 2 (100%) | 4 (33%) |
| Invasive ventilation, n (%) | 67 (44%) | 23 (40%) | 28 (45%) | 12 (63%) | 1 (50%) | 3 (25%) |
| Administration of vasopressors/inotropes, n (%) | 26 (17%) | 14 (24%) | 7 (11%) | 5 (26%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, n (%) | 1 (1%) | 1 (2%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Surgical source control, n (%) | 41 (27%) | 22 (38%) | 14 (23%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 7 (58%) |
| Length of hospital stay hospital (days), median (IQR) | 10 (5–19) | 8 (4–19) | 11 (5–19) | 5 (4–6) | 6 (1–11) | 13 (7.5–25.5) |
| Discharge to rehabilitation/care facility, n (%) | 5 (3%) | 2 (3%) | 2 (3%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (8%) |
| PCPC at hospital discharge, median (IQR) | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–1) | 1 (1–2) |
| Deceased, n (%) | 8 (5%) | 5 (9%) | 2 (3%) | 1 (5%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
IQR interquartile range, ENT ears nose and throat, CNS central nervous system, SIRS systemic inflammatory response syndrome, PICU pediatric intensive care unit, PCPC Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category
aStreptococcal species other than S. pyogenes and S. pneumoniae