Publications by authors named "Aakash Khanijau"
Article Synopsis
- Antibiotic overprescription in pediatric emergency departments (EDs) contributes to antimicrobial resistance, prompting a study on empiric antibiotic use in European EDs for febrile children.
- Out of 2130 febrile cases studied, 72.7% were classified as bacterial and 27.3% as viral, with 85.1% of bacterial and 46.3% of viral cases receiving empiric systemic antibiotics within the first two days.
- A large portion of patients with viral infections were still given antibiotics, typically from the WHO's "Watch" category, highlighting the need for better diagnostic methods in EDs to accurately distinguish between bacterial and viral infections.
External validation of a multivariable prediction model for identification of pneumonia and other serious bacterial infections in febrile immunocompromised children.
Arch Dis Child
December 2023
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to validate and update the Feverkids tool, a clinical prediction model designed to help differentiate between bacterial pneumonia, serious bacterial infections (SBIs), and non-SBI causes of fever in immunocompromised children.
- Conducted in 15 hospitals across nine European countries, the study involved observational data from febrile immunocompromised children aged 0-18 years.
- Results showed improved accuracy in predicting bacterial pneumonia and SBIs after model updates, indicating effective thresholds that can help minimize unnecessary medical interventions and antibiotic use.
Background: The PERFORM study aimed to understand causes of febrile childhood illness by comparing molecular pathogen detection with current clinical practice.
Methods: Febrile children and controls were recruited on presentation to hospital in 9 European countries 2016-2020. Each child was assigned a standardized diagnostic category based on retrospective review of local clinical and microbiological data.
To assess and describe the aetiology and management of febrile illness in children with primary or acquired immunodeficiency at high risk of serious bacterial infection, as seen in emergency departments in tertiary hospitals. Prospective data on demographics, presenting features, investigations, microbiology, management, and outcome of patients within the 'Biomarker Validation in HR patients' database in PERFORM, were analysed. Immunocompromised children (< 18 years old) presented to fifteen European hospitals in nine countries, and one Gambian hospital, with fever or suspected infection and clinical indication for blood investigations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: The identification of life-threatening infection in febrile children presenting to the emergency department (ED) remains difficult. The quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) was only derived for adult populations, implying an urgent need for pediatric scores. We developed and validated a novel, adapted qSOFA score (Liverpool quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment [LqSOFA]) and compared its performance with qSOFA, Pediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS), and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) high-risk criteria in predicting critical care (CC) admission in febrile children presenting to the ED.
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