Baseline characteristics of children with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia included in the study
| Baseline variable | Pre-IDC group | IDC group | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| N=28 patients (%) | N=35 patients (%) | N=63 patients (%) | |
| Male | 20 (71.4) | 20 (57.1) | 40 (63.5) |
| Female | 8 (28.6) | 15 (42.9) | 23 (36.5) |
| Median age in years (IQR) | 4.3 (0.2–9.4) | 3.4 (0.2–12.2) | 3.4 (0.2–10.7) |
| Neonates | 6 (20) | 9 (25.0) | 15 (23.8) |
| Prematurity | 4 (66.7) | 9 (100.0) | 13 (86.7) |
| Median age in days (IQR) | 11 (7–47) | 26 (23–38) | 25 (14–47) |
| Median birth weight in grams (IQR) | 1117 (630–3535) | 820 (755–1120) | 830 (710–1330) |
| Congenital heart disease | 5 (17.9) | 8 (22.9) | 13 (20.6) |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 3 (10.7) | 5 (14.3) | 8 (12.7) |
| Liver disease | 0 | 1 (2.9) | 1 (1.6) |
| Malignancy | 7 (25.0) | 9 (25.7) | 16 (25.4) |
| Metastatic cancer | 2 (7.1) | 1 (2.9) | 3 (4.8) |
| Neurological condition | 4 (14.3) | 13 (37.1) | 17 (27.0) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 0 | 1 (2.9) | 1 (1.6) |
| Skin condition | 3 (10.7) | 1 (2.9) | 4 (6.4) |
| Atopic dermatitis | 3 (100.0) | 3 (75.0) | |
| Immunosuppression | 6 (21.4) | 8 (22.9) | 14 (22.2) |
| Corticosteroid therapy | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Antineoplastic | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Neutropenia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| N=30 episodes (%) | N=36 episodes (%) | N=66 episodes (%) | |
| Mode of acquisition | |||
| Community-acquired | 11 (36.7) | 10 (27.8) | 21 (31.8) |
| Healthcare-associated | 9 (30.0) | 7 (19.4) | 16 (24.2) |
| Hospital-acquired | 10 (33.3) | 19 (52.8) | 29 (43.9) |
| Duration of symptoms of bacteraemia (hours) | |||
| 0–24 | 21 (70.0) | 18 (50.0) | 39 (59.1) |
| 25–72 | 1 (3.3) | 6 (16.7) | 7 (10.6) |
| >72 | 7 (23.3) | 10 (27.8) | 17 (25.8) |
| Unknown | 1 (3.3) | 2 (5.6) | 3 (4.6) |
| Organism | |||
| MSSA | 28 (93.3) | 33 (91.7) | 61 (92.4) |
| MRSA | 2 (6.7) | 3 (8.3) | 5 (7.6) |
| C reactive protein (nmol/L) | 333 (114–890) | 448 (181–1081) | 390 (133 –1005) |
| White cell count (109/L) | 8.8 (5.8–15.6) | 10.1 (6.9–18.4) | 9.6 (6.3–16.5) |
| Neutrophils (109/L) | 5.4 (3.6–9) | 6.3 (4.9–11.8) | 5.7 (3.6–11.8) |
| Platelets (109/L) | 277 (151–374) | 213 (101–270) | 224 (140–301) |
IDC, infectious diseases consultation; MSSA, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus; MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.