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In a case-control study of children (age ≤18 years) from 35 pediatric practices who presented to emergency departments (EDs) with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) during 2006–2007, researchers evaluated bacteremia prevalence and risk factors in the post-pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae vaccine era and the effect of positive blood cultures on management. Cases were children with bacteremia and controls were children who had negative blood cultures or no cultures performed.
Of 877 patients (mean age, 3.6 years), 291 (33.2%) had blood cultures performed at the discretion of the ED attending physician. Overall, 6 patients (2.1%) had positive cultures; all were admitted to the hospital. Blood cultures were positive in 4 of 51 patients (7…