EM Fundamentals

APPROACH TO THE FEBRILE INFANT

Goals and Objectives Goals Resident will be comfortable with initial evaluation and basic management of the febrile infant Learning Objectives Resident will be able to describe technique and cut-off values for diagnosing fever in infants Resident will be able to describe appropriate diagnostic tests for febrile infants and their indications, including: Urinalysis and culture (including appropriate method of collection) Blood cultures Chest x-ray CSF analysis Respiratory viral panels Resident will describe the indications for, appropriate timing of (relative to diagnostic studies), and choice of agent in antibiotic therapy for febrile infants Resident will name the appropriate disposition for all patients under 28 days of age with fever Resident will describe which febrile children under 36 months may be eligible for discharge

Recommended Resources Prior to Conference Fever in Children Younger than Three Years (ACEP Clinical Policy) Additional Resources Clinical Guidelines Clinical Guideline: Fever in 0-28 Days (University of Chicago) Clinical Guideline: Fever in 29-60 Days (University of Chicago) Clinical Guideline: Fever in 3-36 Months (University of Chicago) Consensus Statements Fever in Children Younger than Three Years (ACEP Clinical Policy)

Original Post by Eric Shappell on 12/03/2014
Reviewed by James Ahn on 01/06/2015
Last Updated by Eric Shappell on 04/30/2016 Contact / Feedback