Low Risk for Bacterial Meningitis in Infants Aged 6 to 11 Months with Simple Febrile Seizure

Pediatric practice guidelines vary on the routine use of lumbar puncture for evaluation of possible bacterial meningitis in children presenting to emergency departments with febrile seizure.

In a multicenter, retrospective study, investigators estimated the risk for bacterial meningitis in children aged 6 to 11 months presenting with a first-time, simple febrile seizure — defined as a generalized seizure lasting <15 minutes that did not recur within 24 hours — to one of seven pediatric emergency departments in France. Patients were excluded if they had a history of seizure, conditions predisposing to seizure, an immunocompromised state, or signs of meningitis (e.g., irritability, neck stiffness, purpura, hypotonia, bulging fontanel).

Of 205 c…