Bloodstream infection in children

Abstract

Objective: To establish the definitions of bloodstream infection (BSI) in children for the purposes of identifying BSI for early therapy, enrollment in sepsis trials, and epidemiology and surveillance studies.

Methods: Generalized medical literature search using various combinations of the terms "bloodstream infection," "children," and "sepsis."

Results: The medical literature is sparse on these topics; therefore, these recommendations are adapted from guidelines designed for adults. BSI overlaps with other areas of sepsis, such as catheter-related BSI, which will be covered separately. This discussion focuses on BSI of unknown origin, also known as primary BSI.

Conclusion: A BSI is the presence of a pathogen in the blood. Its clinical significance should be determined by the presence of the host response as defined by the modified criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome SIRS in children or a clinically recognizable syndrome. Definitions of BSI for the purposes of sepsis trials may differ from those for epidemiologic or surveillance studies.