value of blood cultures in the management of febrile patients later found to have septicaemia

ABSTRACT

Septicaemia, a common problem among the pediatric patients in the preantibiotic era, has been identified recently in several reports amongapparently healthy children. The impact of blood cultures in detection and early management of 13 cases with septcaemia was evaluated. The blood cultures proved to be of diagnostic value in 77% of cases of septicaemia as clinical assessment is not always reliable in identifying these children, yet its value is negligible in those with serious complications