ArticleBMC pediatrics2012
Suboptimal management of central nervous system infections in children: a multi-centre retrospective study.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- A need to raise the bar - A systematic review of temporal trends in diagnostics for Japanese encephalitis virus infection, and perspectives for future research.International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases · 2020Pooled it
- A pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial of a tailored intervention to improve the initial management of suspected encephalitis.PloS one · 2018Trial
- The evaluation of a tailored intervention to improve the management of suspected viral encephalitis: protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.Implementation science : IS · 2015Trial
- Pentraxin 3: a novel biomarker in pediatric central nervous system infections.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
- Global Landscape of Encephalitis: Key Priorities to Reduce Future Disease Burden.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2023Review
- Pediatric central nervous system infections in the Amazon: clinical and laboratory profiles.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Predictive value of C-reactive protein for the diagnosis of meningitis in febrile infants under 3 months of age in the emergency department.Yeungnam University journal of medicine · 2020Article
- A 9-month retrospective evaluation of the aetiology and management of patients presenting with encephalitis/meningoencephalitis at a South London hospital.Epidemiology and infection · 2020Article
- Usefulness of the procalcitonin test in young febrile infants between 1 and 3 months of age.Korean journal of pediatrics · 2018Article
- Encephalitis diagnosis using metagenomics: application of next generation sequencing for undiagnosed cases.The Journal of infection · 2018Review
- Laboratory Diagnosis of Central Nervous System Infection.Current infectious disease reports · 2016Review
- Diagnostic Pathways as Social and Participatory Practices: The Case of Herpes Simplex Encephalitis.PloS one · 2016Article
- The development of an intervention to promote adherence to national guidelines for suspected viral encephalitis.Implementation science : IS · 2015Article
- In-hospital management of children with bacterial meningitis in Italy.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2014Article
- Estimating the burden of Japanese encephalitis virus and other encephalitides in countries of the mekong region.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2014Review
- Should a hospitalized child receive empiric treatment with acyclovir?Italian journal of pediatrics · 2012Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveWe aimed to audit the regional management of central nervous system (CNS) infection in children.
methodsThe study was undertaken in five district general hospitals and one tertiary paediatric hospital in the Mersey region of the UK. Children admitted to hospital with a suspected CNS infection over a three month period were identified. Children were aged between 4 weeks and 16 years old. Details were recorded from the case notes and electronic records. We measured the appropriateness of management pathways as outlined by national and local guidelines.
resultsSixty-five children were identified with a median age of 6 months (range 1 month to 15 years). Ten had a CNS infection: 4 aseptic meningitis, 3 purulent meningitis, 3 encephalitis [2 with herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1]. A lumbar puncture (LP) was attempted in 50 (77%) cases but only 43 had cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) available for analysis. Of these 24 (57%) had a complete standard set of tests performed. Fifty eight (89%) received a third generation cephalosporin. Seventeen (26%) also received aciclovir with no obvious indication in 9 (53%). Only 11 (65%) of those receiving aciclovir had CSF herpes virus PCR. Seventeen had cranial imaging and it was the first management step in 14. Treatment lengths of both antibiotics and aciclovir were highly variable: one child with HSV encephalitis was only treated with aciclovir for 7 days.
conclusionsThe clinical management of children with suspected CNS infections across the Mersey region is heterogeneous and often sub-optimal, particularly for the investigation and treatment of viral encephalitis. National guidelines for the management of viral encephalitis are needed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.