Association between positive blood culture and clinical outcomes among children treated for sepsis in the emergency department

Abstract

Objective: Among children treated for sepsis in a pediatric emergency department (ED), compare clinical features and outcomes between those with blood cultures positive versus negative for a bacterial pathogen.

Design: Single-center retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Pediatric emergency department (ED) at a quaternary pediatric care center.

Patients: Children aged 0-18 years treated for sepsis defined by the Children's Hospital Association's Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes (IPSO) definition.

Interventions: None.

Measurements and main results: We analyzed 1307 patients treated for sepsis during the study period, of which 117 (9.0%) had blood cultures positive for a bacterial pathogen. Of children with blood culture positive sepsis, 62 (53.0%) had organ dysfunction compared to 514 (43.2%) with culture negative sepsis (adjusted odds ratio 1.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-2.34, adjusting for age, high risk medical conditions, and time to antibiotics). Children with blood culture positive sepsis had a larger base deficit, -4 vs -1 (p < 0.01), and higher procalcitonin, 3.84 vs 0.56 ng/mL (p < 0.01).

Conclusions: Children meeting the IPSO Sepsis definition with blood culture positive for a bacterial pathogen have higher rates of organ dysfunction than those who are culture negative, although our 9% rate of blood culture positivity is lower than previously cited literature from the pediatric intensive care unit.

Keywords: Bacteremia; Blood culture; Organ dysfunction; Pediatrics; Sepsis.