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. 2018 Jan;25(1):23-27.
doi: 10.1016/j.arcped.2017.11.002. Epub 2017 Dec 28.

[Suboptimal care and severe bacterial infection in the French Caribbean area]

[Article in French]
E Goisque  1 , E Launay  2 , B Vrignaud  2 , E Jolivet  3 , F Henaff  2 , C Gras-Leguen  2
Affiliations

[Suboptimal care and severe bacterial infection in the French Caribbean area]

[Article in French]
E Goisque et al. Arch Pediatr. 2018 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: To study the frequency and types of suboptimal care in initial management of children suffering from a severe bacterial infection (SBI), in a French region where little is known about pediatric SBI epidemiology.

Method: Retrospective single-center study over a 6-year period. Children between 3 months and 15 years of age, deceased or surviving and admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit of the university-affiliated hospital of Martinique for a community-onset SBI were included in this study. The optimality of the medical care before admission to the pediatric intensive care unit was assessed in a blinded fashion by two independent experts.

Results: Twenty-nine of the 30 children suffering from SBI could be analyzed. The median age was 3.7 years (IQR: 1.7-10.4); the mortality rate was 14 % (95 % CI: 1-27 %). Most frequently infections were pulmonary infections (48 %; 95 % CI: 29-67 %), followed by septic shock (44 %; 95 % CI: 25-63 %). Microbiological cultures were positive in 55 % (95 % CI, 36-74 %) (n=16) of the cases, with five pneumococcus and four Streptococcus pyogenes. Of the 29 children included in the study, 72 % (95 % CI: 55-89 %) (n=21) had received at least one episode of suboptimal care. Suboptimal care comprised delay in diagnosis (identification of serious symptoms) in 65 % (95 % CI: 47-83 %), a delay in seeking care in 41 % (95 % CI: 22-60 %), and a delay in the initiation of antibiotics or hemodynamic support in 45 % (95 % CI: 26-64 %) and 38 % (95 % CI: 20-56 %) of the cases, respectively.

Conclusion: Suboptimal care was frequent in the initial management of SBI, particularly because of a delay in seeking care and the failure of physicians to recognize early signs of SBI. A large public information campaign, focusing on healthcare accessibility and better education of physicians in the early recognition of SBIs are means of improvement that need to be explored.

Keywords: Severe bacterial infection; Suboptimal care.

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