Young Infants and Hypothermia: Risk of Bacterial Infection

Investigators from multiple institutions conducted a retrospective study to assess the prevalence of serious infections and mortality among young infants who presented to the ED with hypothermia. For the study, the authors reviewed data in the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS), which includes information on patient encounters from >40 US children’s hospitals. Infants <90 days old seen at 1 of 40 PHIS hospital EDs between 2009 and 2018 with an admission or discharge diagnosis of hypothermia, based on ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, were included in the analyses. Data abstracted from the PHIS database on study children included age; presence of a complex chronic condition; diagnostic tests performed such as blood, urine, or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures; and herpes simplex virus (HSV) testing. Primary study outcomes, including serious bacterial infection (urinary …