Faculty Collaboration Database

Indications for chest roentgenogram in the febrile young infant. Pediatr Emerg Care 1989 Sep;5(3):149-52

Date

09/01/1989

Pubmed ID

2691990

DOI

10.1097/00006565-198909000-00001

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0024452167 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   25 Citations

Abstract

A combined retrospective and prospective analysis of infants 60 days of age or less evaluated for fever (greater than or equal to 38.3 degrees C) or history of fever who received chest roentgenogram over a one-year period was performed to determine whether clinical characteristics were predictive of pneumonia. Of the 209 patients studied, 115 were reviewed prospectively and 94 retrospectively. Pneumonia was radiographically diagnosed in 16 patients. Individual clinical factors were not found to be highly predictive of pneumonia. However, infants with the following nine factors did not have pneumonia; illness in the summer months; absence of cough, dyspnea, and respiratory distress (grunting/flaring/retracting); respiratory rate less than 60; absence of rales and decreased breath sounds; presence of normal color; and white blood cell count less than 19,000/mm3. We recommend that these clinical characteristics be utilized to determine whether chest roentgenogram is warranted in the young infant evaluated for fever.

Author List

Losek JD, Kishaba RG, Berens RJ, Bonadio WA, Wells RG

Author

Richard J. Berens MD Professor in the Anesthesiology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Diagnosis, Differential
Female
Fever
Humans
Infant
Male
Pneumonia
Prospective Studies
Radiography
Respiratory Sounds
Retrospective Studies
Sensitivity and Specificity