Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with invasive bacterial infections and patients without invasive bacterial infections
| Invasive bacterial infection (n=135) | No invasive bacterial infection (n=16 133) | |||
| n (%) | Missing | n (%) | Missing | |
| Age in years, median (IQR) | 3.2 (0.8–6.0) | 2.8 (1.4–6.0) | ||
| Female | 76 (56.2) | 8932 (55.4) | ||
| Underlying chronic condition | 2 | 89 | ||
| Any | 68 (50.4) | 3005 (18.6) | ||
| Complex | 50 (37.0) | 1008 (6.2) | ||
| Referred | 96 (71.1) | 3 | 8633 (53.5) | 936 |
| Triage urgency | 5 | 477 | ||
| Low: standard, non-urgent | 41 (30.4) | 9242 (57.3) | ||
| High: immediate, very urgent, intermediate | 89 (65.9) | 6414 (39.8) | ||
| Feverkidstool | ||||
| Temperature in °C, median (IQR) | 38.0 (37.4–38.7) | 3 | 37.8 (37.0–38.5) | 764 |
| Fever duration in days, median (IQR) | 0.5 (0.5–3) | 5 | 1.5 (0.5–3) | 817 |
| Tachypnoea (APLS) | 38 (28.1) | 37 | 3345 (20.7) | 3919 |
| Tachycardia (APLS) | 81 (60.0) | 5 | 5578 (34.6) | 821 |
| Hypoxia <95% | 4 (2.9) | 13 | 749 (4.6) | 2373 |
| Prolonged capillary refill (>3 s) | 8 (5.9) | 29 | 305 (1.9) | 2311 |
| Increased work of breathing | 11 (8.1) | 40 | 887 (5.5) | 2136 |
| Ill appearance | 60 (44.4) | 13 | 4398 (27.3) | 610 |
| CRP in mg/L, median (IQR) | 61 (21–144) | 16 (5–45) | ||
| NICE warning signs | ||||
| Decreased level of consciousness | 6 (4.4) | 137 (0.8) | 141 | |
| Meningeal signs | 8 (5.9) | 24 | 116 (0.7) | 845 |
| Focal neurology | 2 (1.5) | 29 | 95 (0.6) | 1249 |
| Status epilepticus | 0 (0.0) | 8 | 49 (0.3) | 887 |
| Rash: petechiae/non-blanching | 10 (7.4) | 25 | 640 (3.9) | 1183 |
| Blood cultures performed | 134 (99.3) | 3002 (18.6) | ||
| CSF performed | 25 (18.5) | 381 (2.4) | ||
| Admission to the ward >24 hours | 111 (82.2) | 1 | 5879 (36.4) | 159 |
| Admission to the ICU | 10 (7.4) | 125 (0.8) | 17 | |
| Antibiotic treatment following ED visit | 126 (93.3) | 5804 (35.9) | 197 | |
| LSI: airway, breathing or haemodynamic support | 16 (11.9) | 343 (2.1) | ||
APLS, advanced paediatric life support; CRP, C reactive protein; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; ED, emergency department; ICU, intensive care unit; LSI, life-saving intervention; NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.