Oxygen saturation is not clinically useful in the exclusion of bacterial pneumonia in febrile infants.

Background: Acute respiratory infection remains a common presentation to Emergency Departments. Oxygen saturations (Sao(2)) may be useful in determining which febrile infants require chest x-rays (CXR) in investigation for bacterial pneumonia (PNA). This study aimed to determine whether Sao(2) is clinically useful in excluding bacterial PNA in febrile infants <24 months.

Urinalysis is not reliable to detect a urinary tract infection in febrile infants presenting to the ED.

Objective: Urinary tract infections are a common source of serious bacterial infections in febrile infants younger than 2 years. Our objective was to compare urinalysis with urine culture in the emergency department evaluation of febrile infants.

Methods: A febrile infant registry was instituted at a tertiary care hospital treating an average of 55000 patients annually (27% children), from December 2002 to December 2003.

Serious bacterial infections in febrile infants in the post-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine era.

Objectives: The objective was to identify the epidemiology of serious bacterial infections (SBI) and the current utility of obtaining routine complete blood counts (CBC) and blood cultures to stratify infants at risk of SBI, in the study population of febrile infants in the post-heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) era.

Methods: A cohort study with nested case-controls was undertaken at a tertiary care military hospital emergency department (ED) from December 2002 through December 2003. Irrespective of clinical findings at the initial encounter, patients were included if they were under 3 months of age and had a home or ED temperature of >or=100.

Comparison of oral aspirin versus topical applied methyl salicylate for platelet inhibition.

Background: Oral acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is the primary antiplatelet therapy in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction and acute coronary syndrome. Methyl salicylate (MS; oil of wintergreen) is compounded into many over-the-counter antiinflammatory muscle preparations and has been shown to inhibit platelet aggregation locally and to be absorbed systemically.

Objective: To assess the ability of topically applied MS to inhibit systemic platelet aggregation for patients who are unable to tolerate oral drug therapy.