title: Utility of blood cultures in children admitted to hospital with community-acquired pneumonia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to assess the utility of blood cultures in children admitted to hospital with community-acquired pneumonia. The primary outcome was the number of positive blood culture results, and secondary outcomes included the effect of positive blood culture results on management, and the identification of other clinical/biochemical variables that could predict blood culture results or the course of illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective data analysis was carried out on all children admitted to Gosford Hospital during the 2-year period from July 2013 to June 2015. Included were patients under 16 years old who had a diagnosis-related group code of pneumonia. A review of blood culture results, chest X-ray, serology, C-reactive protein and white cell count and clinical outcomes were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 215 paediatric admissions with a diagnosis of pneumonia during the 2-year study period. A blood culture was collected in 82.3% (177/215). Although seven had a positive blood culture, only two of these were finally reported as true positives and both were Streptococcus pneumoniae. Both patients were treated with a cephalosporin and demonstrated clinical improvement. No changes were made to their treatment based on the blood culture results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Blood cultures have a low yield and do not appear to be helpful when collected in all patients admitted to hospital with community-acquired pneumonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Tessa R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Hannah R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Murtas
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Aimee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weisman
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.|Teaching and Research Unit, Central Coast Local Health District, Gosford, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: J Lynn
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.|Department of Paediatrics, Gosford Hospital, Gosford, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000071997:Blood Culture / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007902:Length of Stay; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: community-acquired pneumonia; infectious diseases; microbiology; pneumonia; respiratory