Febrile Infant: Patient Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
Inclusion criteria:
- Term: Estimated gestational age (EGA) ≥ 37 weeks.
- Otherwise healthy patients who also do not meet any exclusion criteria below
- Temperature ≥ 38°C: Patients have documented rectal temperature of ≥ 38°C or 100.4°F at home in the past 24 hours or in a clinical setting
Exclusion criteria:
- Patients who have remained hospitalized since birth
- Preterm (< 37 weeks gestation)
- Less than 2 weeks of age whose perinatal courses were complicated by maternal fever, infection, and/or antimicrobial use
- Known or suspected immune compromise
- Neonatal course was complicated by surgery or infection
- Congenital or chromosomal abnormalities
- Medically fragile, requiring some form of technology or ongoing therapeutic intervention to sustain life
- Focal bacterial infection (e.g., cellulitis, omphalitis, septic arthritis, osteomyelitis). These infections should be managed according to accepted standards
- Clinical bronchiolitis, with or without positive test results for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
- Received immunizations within the last 48 hours
These pathways do not establish a standard of care to be followed in every case. It is recognized that each case is different, and those individuals involved in providing health care are expected to use their judgment in determining what is in the best interests of the patient based on the circumstances existing at the time. It is impossible to anticipate all possible situations that may exist and to prepare a pathway for each. Accordingly, these pathways should guide care with the understanding that departures from them may be required at times.