Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 7, 2026

Continuous Manual Exchange Transfusion for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease: An Efficient Method to Avoid Iron Overload
05:23

Continuous Manual Exchange Transfusion for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease: An Efficient Method to Avoid Iron Overload

Published on: March 14, 2017

20.7K

Outpatient Management of Febrile Children With Sickle Cell Disease

Elizabeth Sokol1, Emily Obringer1, Brett Palama1

  • 1University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.

Clinical Pediatrics
|July 8, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Febrile children with sickle cell disease can often be safely managed at home. Blood cultures from these pediatric patients rarely grow true pathogens within 48 hours, supporting outpatient care.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Hematology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Clinical Microbiology

Background:

  • Fever in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) necessitates prompt evaluation.
  • Traditional management often involves hospitalization for observation and blood cultures.
  • Early detection of bacteremia is critical for timely antibiotic administration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the utility of blood cultures in febrile pediatric SCD patients.
  • To determine the time to positivity for true pathogens in blood cultures.
  • To assess the feasibility of outpatient management for febrile SCD patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of electronic medical records from two children's hospitals (June 2011-May 2013).
  • Inclusion criteria: pediatric patients with SCD presenting with fever.
  • Analysis of blood culture results, time to positivity, and patient management (inpatient vs. outpatient).

Main Results:

  • 390 blood cultures were drawn; 11 (2.8%) were positive, with only 1 (0.3%) growing a true pathogen.
  • The true pathogen blood culture turned positive in 13 hours.
  • 154 patients were managed exclusively as outpatients, with one contaminant blood culture.
  • The majority of outpatient-managed patients (80.5%) completed three acute care visits.

Conclusions:

  • The overall rate of true pathogen detection in blood cultures from febrile pediatric SCD patients is low.
  • Blood cultures in this population frequently become positive for pathogens within 48 hours.
  • Outpatient management of fever in pediatric sickle cell disease patients is a safe and viable option, supported by low pathogen detection rates and early culture positivity.

Keywords:
antibioticsfeversickle cell disease

More Related Videos

A Precision Medicine Tool for Measurement and Monitoring of Hemoglobin S in Sickle Cell Disease Patients Receiving Transfusion Therapy07:24

A Precision Medicine Tool for Measurement and Monitoring of Hemoglobin S in Sickle Cell Disease Patients Receiving Transfusion Therapy

2.0K
Characterization of Sickling During Controlled Automated Deoxygenation with Oxygen Gradient Ektacytometry08:23

Characterization of Sickling During Controlled Automated Deoxygenation with Oxygen Gradient Ektacytometry

Published on: November 5, 2019

10.5K

Related Concept Videos

Tonsillitis II: Management01:26

Tonsillitis II: Management

This lesson will focus on the different treatment options for managing tonsillitis, which typically depend on the cause and severity.
599
Methods of reducing fever01:22

Methods of reducing fever

The signs and symptoms of fever include hot and dry skin, flushed face, thirst, muscle aches, anorexia, headache, tachycardia, tachypnea, and fatigue. Elevated body temperature is reduced using two methods: pharmacological and nonpharmacological. Proper identification and treatment of the root cause of a fever is of utmost importance.
Pharmacological Methods of Reducing Fever:
1.6K
Acute Kidney Injury VI: Nursing Management01:22

Acute Kidney Injury VI: Nursing Management

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) results in an inability to maintain fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base balance. Effective nursing management is critical in improving patient outcomes and includes comprehensive patient assessment and targeted interventions.Comprehensive Patient AssessmentA detailed history collection is essential, focusing on any recent infections, nephrotoxic medication use, or chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes that may contribute to AKI. During the physical...
705
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion01:26

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion

In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...
380
Acute Pyelonephritis II: Diagnostic Studies and Management01:28

Acute Pyelonephritis II: Diagnostic Studies and Management

Introduction:For diagnosing acute pyelonephritis, a comprehensive patient history is collected to identify symptoms such as dysuria, frequent or urgent urination, flank pain, or costovertebral angle (CVA) tenderness that may suggest a kidney infection.Physical ExaminationDuring the physical examination, CVA tenderness is assessed. This involves gentle percussion over the costovertebral angle, where tenderness often indicates a kidney infection.Diagnostic TestsUrinalysis: Used to identify white...
675
Pneumonia IV: Management01:28

Pneumonia IV: Management

The treatment of pneumonia varies based on its severity and the causative pathogen. Here is a structured approach to managing pneumonia, integrating pharmaceutical and supportive care strategies.
Bacterial Pneumonia Treatment
For bacterial pneumonia, antibiotics serve as the cornerstone of therapy. Initial treatment often begins with empirical antibiotics, tailored to the anticipated causative organism and adjusted based on culture results. Key antibiotic choices include:
1.1K