Invasive group A streptococcal disease in pregnant women and young children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The incidence of invasive disease caused by group A streptococcus (GAS) has increased in multiple countries in the past 15 years. However, despite these reports, to the best of our knowledge, no systematic reviews and combined estimates of the incidence of invasive GAS have been done in key high-risk groups. To address this, we estimated the incidence of invasive GAS disease, including death and disability outcomes, among two high-risk groups-namely, pregnant women and children younger than 5 years.

The signs, symptoms and help-seeking experiences of neutropenic sepsis patients before they reach hospital: a qualitative study.

Purpose: Neutropenic sepsis (NS) is a medical emergency in which urgent treatment with antibiotics is known to improve outcomes, yet there are minimal data about what happens to patients with NS before they reach hospital. We aimed to examine the pre-hospital experiences of patients with NS, identifying its early presenting features and exploring the factors potentially delaying patients' arrival at hospital.

Methods: We conducted in-depth, qualitative interviews with 22 cancer patients admitted to hospital for treatment of NS and 10 patient carers.