Pediatric fever of uncertain source

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Background

  • Fever accounts for 30% of pediatric visits
  • Children <3 months are immunocompromised (e.g. poor opsonization, poor IgG response to encapsulated bacteria, macrophage and neutrophil dysfunction, bone marrow insufficiency)

Epidemiology and Risk

Age 0-14 days 14-28 days 28-60 days (pre vaccine) 28-60 days (post vaccine) 60-90 days > 90 days
Meningitis/SBI Prevalence 1/10 1/20 1/100 1/1000 1/1000-10,000 > 1/10,000
  • Serious bacterial illness (SBI) includes UTI, meningitis, pneumonia, bacteremia
  • 7% of patients <2 years old with fever have pneumonia, however the etiology (viral/bacterial) or even the presence of pneumonia has low inter-observer reliability even among pediatric radiologists[1]
  • 4% Prevalence of UTI with common other sources of fever (OM, viral URI, etc)[2]
  • 0.3% of previously well children aged 3-36 months who have a fever without a source will develop significant sequelae, 0.03% will develop sepsis or meningitis[3]

Concomitant Respiratory Viral Infection

  • Relatively high coincidence of RSV, enterovirus, and paraflu with bacteremia (and UTIs), so positive lab test for these viruses should not change testing and management plan[4]
    • RSV+ neonates aged 0-28 days, 3.7% were bactremic (and 6.1% had UTIs)
    • RSV+ infants aged 29-60 days, (5.5% had UTIs)
  • There is a low coincidence of influenza with SBI, so postivie lab test for this virus may change testing and management plan (i.e. lower risk of concurrent bacterial illness)[5]

Clinical Features

  • Febrile
    • Defined as temperature ≥38°C (100.4°F).
    • Peripheral temperature is not clinically accurate and central measurements are the preferred means of determining fever.
    • Parental report of confirmed fever at home (i.e. via thermometer), even with no fever in ED, has rates of SBIs high as 4.7% (0-28 day range)[6]

Differential Diagnosis

Pediatric fever

Evaluation & Management

  • Preemies: Count age by estimated postconception date (not by actual delivery date) for 1st-90d

0-7 Days

For all infants (toxic and well-appearing)

Child Appearance Work Up Treatment Disposition & Follow-up Comments
Temperature ≥38°

Toxic or Well

  • CBC
  • Blood cultures
  • Urinalysis, Urine culture
  • LP-CSF
  • CXR
  • +/- Stool studies (if diarrhea)
Admit SBI incidence
  • Ill appearing: 13%–21%
  • Not ill appearing: <5%

^Acyclovir if:

  • HSV infection in baby or mother
  • CSF pleocytoisis
  • Concerning skin lesions
  • Seizures
  • Abnormal LFTs

Note:

  • CXR is optional if no resp sx and another source identified
  • LP is necessary even if another source identified due to immature blood-brain barrier
  • Do not give ceftriaxone to children <28d as may cause hyperbilirubinemia

8-21 Days[7]

  • For toxic infants, treat for sepsis and admit
  • For well-appearing infants, see below algorithm

8-21 day algorithm

22-28 Days[8]

  • For toxic infants, treat for sepsis and admit
  • For well-appearing infants, see below algorithm

Peds fever 22-28 days (2.0).PNG

29-60 Days[9]

  • For toxic infants, treat for sepsis and admit
  • For well-appearing infants, see below algorithm

Peds fever 29-60 (2.0).PNG

60 Days - 36 Months[10]

Appearance Work Up Treatment Disposition & Follow-Up
T≥38° + Toxic Admit
T≥39°C + Well + Non-complete Prevnar

(No Prevnar or <4 weeks post 1st Prevnar dose)

If WBC(+): Outpatient (24 hour follow-up)
T≥39°C + Well + Prevnar

(2 Prevnar or ≥4 weeks post 1st Prevnar dose)

  • Urine workup (UA, urine culture) for:
    • Circumcised males <6 months
    • Uncircumcised males <12 months
    • All females
  • +/- CXR
Treat cystitis or pneumonia if postitive Outpatient (48hour follow up)
T≥38-38.9°C + Well Consider UA, CXR based on symptoms, etc Treat cystitis or pneumonia if positive Outpatient (48-72 hour follow-up)[11]
  • Consider CXR for:
    • Respiratory symptoms
    • Fever >48 hrs
    • Tachypnea
    • Hypoxia
  • Non-UTI SBI incidence of <.4% in children >6 mo

Low Risk Lab Criteria

If low-risk criteria below not met, then perform the LP (if not done) and admit for inpatient antibiotics[12][13]

CBC

  • WBC 5-15 /mm3
  • Absolute Band count <1500 /mm3
  • Procalcitonin ≤0.5 ng/mL
  • ANC ≤4000/mm3

Urinalysis

  • Clear
  • Neg Nitrate and Leukocyte esterase
  • WBC <10/high powered field

CSF

  • Studies should include WBC, protein, glucose, Gram stain, and culture for bacteria. Consider viral studies (HSV).

0-28 days

  • WBC: 0-22/mm3
  • Protein: <100mg/dL

>29 days

  • WBC 0-7/mm3
  • Protein: 15-25mg/dL

Additional Management

Initial Empiric Antibiotics for Well-Appearing Infants[14]

Suspected Infection Source 8-21 Days Old 22-28 Days Old 29-60 Days Old
UTI
  • Ampicillin IV or IM (150 mg/kg per day divided q8) AND either:
No source identified
  • Ampicillin IV or IM (150 mg/kg per day divided q8) AND either:
Bacterial meningitis
  • Ampicillin IV or IM (300 mg/kg per day divided q6) AND
  • Ceftazidime IV or IM (150 mg/kg per day divided q8)
  • Ampicillin IV or IM (300 mg/kg per day divided q6) AND
  • Ceftazidime IV or IM (150 mg/kg per day divided q8)

Acetaminophen Pediatric Dosing Chart

Weight (kg) Weight (lbs) Age Dosage (mg)
3-4 6-11 0-3 mo 40
5-7 12-17 4-11 mo 80
8-10 18-23 1-2 y 120
11-15 24-35 2-3 y 160
16-21 36-47 4-5 y 240
22-26 48-59 6-8 y 320
27-32 60-71 9-10 y 400
33-43 72-95 11 y 480
Dosage can be given q6 hours

See Also

External Links

References

  1. ACEP's Clinical Policy on Pediatric Fever. Clinical Policy for Children Younger Than Three Years Presenting to the Emergency Department With Fever. Annuals of Emergency Medicine 2003 42. 530-545
  2. ACEP's Clinical Policy on Pediatric Fever. Clinical Policy for Children Younger Than Three Years Presenting to the Emergency Department With Fever. Annuals of Emergency Medicine 2003 42. 530-545
  3. ACEP's Clinical Policy on Pediatric Fever. Clinical Policy for Children Younger Than Three Years Presenting to the Emergency Department With Fever. Annuals of Emergency Medicine 2003 42. 530-545
  4. Greenes, D.S.M., & Harper, M. B.M. (1999). Low risk of bacteremia in febrile children with recognizable viral syndromes. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 18(3), 258-261.
  5. Greenes, D.S.M., & Harper, M. B.M. (1999). Low risk of bacteremia in febrile children with recognizable viral syndromes. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 18(3), 258-261.
  6. Serious bacterial infections in neonates presenting afebrile with history of fever Ramgopal S, Walker LW, Tavarez MM, et al. Pediatrics. 2019;144(2):e20183964.
  7. Evaluation and Management of Well-Appearing Febrile Infants 8 to 60 Days Old Robert H. Pantell, Kenneth B. Roberts, William G. Adams, Benard P. Dreyer, Nathan Kuppermann, Sean T. O'Leary, Kymika Okechukwu and Charles R. Woods; Subcommittee On Febrile Infants Pediatrics July 2021, e2021052228; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-052228
  8. Evaluation and Management of Well-Appearing Febrile Infants 8 to 60 Days Old Robert H. Pantell, Kenneth B. Roberts, William G. Adams, Benard P. Dreyer, Nathan Kuppermann, Sean T. O'Leary, Kymika Okechukwu and Charles R. Woods; Subcommittee On Febrile Infants Pediatrics July 2021, e2021052228; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-052228
  9. Evaluation and Management of Well-Appearing Febrile Infants 8 to 60 Days Old Robert H. Pantell, Kenneth B. Roberts, William G. Adams, Benard P. Dreyer, Nathan Kuppermann, Sean T. O'Leary, Kymika Okechukwu and Charles R. Woods; Subcommittee On Febrile Infants Pediatrics July 2021, e2021052228; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-052228
  10. Jaskiewicz, J.A., McCarthy, C.A., Richardson, A.C., White, K.C., Fisher, D.J., Powell, K. R., et al. (1994). Febrile infants at low risk for serious bacterial infection-an appraisal of the Rochester criteria and implications for management. Pediatrics 94(3), 390-396.
  11. Baker, M.D., Bello, L.M., & Avner, J.R. (1993). Outpatient management without antibiotics of fever in selected infants. New England Jouranl of Medicine, 329(20), 1437-1441.
  12. Smitherman, H.F. & Macias, C.G. (2014). Evaluation and management of fever in the neonate and young infant (less than three months of age) [Electronic Version]. UpToDate,Teach, S.J., Kaplan, SL, Wiley, JF.
  13. Dagan, R. Sofer, S., Phillip, M., & Shachak, E. (1988). Ambulatory care of febrile infants younger than 2 months of age classified as being at low risk for having serous bacterial infections. Journal of Pediatrics, 112(3), 355-360.
  14. Evaluation and Management of Well-Appearing Febrile Infants 8 to 60 Days Old Robert H. Pantell, Kenneth B. Roberts, William G. Adams, Benard P. Dreyer, Nathan Kuppermann, Sean T. O'Leary, Kymika Okechukwu and Charles R. Woods; Subcommittee On Febrile Infants Pediatrics July 2021, e2021052228; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-052228