Incidence of Serious Bacterial Infections in Ex-premature Infants with a Postconceptional Age Less Than 48 Weeks Presenting to a Pediatric Emergency Department

Nobuaki Inoue; Tommy Y Kim; Anne Marie Birkbeck-Garcia; Andrew Givner; T Kent Denmark

Incidence of Serious Bacterial Infections in Ex-premature Infants with a Postconceptional Age Less Than 48 Weeks Presenting to a Pediatric Emergency Department

West J Emerg Med. 2009 Feb;10(1):37-40.

Authors

Nobuaki Inoue¹, Tommy Y Kim, Anne Marie Birkbeck-Garcia, Andrew Givner, T Kent Denmark

Affiliation

¹ Loma Linda University Medical Center and Children's Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

PMID: 19561766
PMCID: PMC2672295

Abstract

Objectives: Premature infants are at higher risk of developing serious bacterial infections (SBI). However, the incidence of SBI in ex-premature infants presenting to the emergency department (ED) remains undetermined. The objective of this study is to examine the incidence of SBI in ex-premature infants with a postconceptional age of less than 48 weeks presenting to a pediatric ED.

Methods: A retrospective medical record review was conducted on 141 ex-premature infants with a postconceptional age of less than 48 weeks who had a full or partial septic work up completed in a pediatric ED between January 1, 1998 and March 31, 2005.

Results: The overall median gestational age at birth was 35 weeks (IQR 33-36 week) and the overall median postconceptional age at ED presentation was 40 weeks (IQR 37-42 weeks). Thirteen (9.2%) infants were found to have a SBI. Five subjects had pneumonia, four with bacteremia, two with pyelonephritis, and two with a concomitant infection of meningitis/pneumonia and bacteremia/pyelonephritis.

Conclusion: The results of this study reveal that the incidence of SBI in ex-premature infants with a postconceptional age of less than 48 weeks is similar to in-term infants (9.2%) and is consistent with previously published incidence rates in-term infants (10%).