Utility of Synovial Fluid Biomarkers for Culture-Positive Septic Arthritis in a Lyme Disease-Endemic Region.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of synovial fluid biomarkers to identify children with culture-positive septic arthritis. METHODS: We identified children 6 months to 18 years old presenting to a single emergency department between 2007 and 2022 undergoing evaluation for septic arthritis defined by having a synovial fluid culture obtained. Our primary outcome was septic arthritis defined by a positive synovial fluid culture. We evaluated the ability of synovial fluid biomarkers to identify children with septic arthritis using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analyses. We measured the sensitivity and specificity of commonly used synovial fluid biomarkers. RESULTS: We included 796 children, of whom 79 (10%) had septic arthritis. Compared with synovial white blood cell count (AUC, 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65-0.78), absolute neutrophil count (AUC, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.66-0.79; P = 0.09), percent neutrophils (AUC, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.60-0.71; P = 0.12), and glucose (AUC, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.90; P = 0.33) performed similarly, whereas protein (AUC, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.40-0.63, P = 0.04) had lower diagnostic accuracy. Synovial fluid white blood cell count ≥50,000 cells/µL had a sensitivity of 62.0% (95% CI, 50.4%-72.7%) and a specificity of 67.0% (95% CI, 63.4%-70.4%), whereas a positive synovial fluid Gram stain had a sensitivity of 48.1% (95% CI, 36.5%-59.7%) and specificity of 99.1% (95% CI, 98.1%-99.7%) for septic arthritis. CONCLUSIONS: None of the routinely available synovial fluid biomarkers had sufficient accuracy to be used in isolation in the identification of children with septic arthritis. New approaches including multivariate clinical prediction rules and novel biomarkers are needed.

Biomarkers for Pediatric Bacterial Musculoskeletal Infections in Lyme Disease-Endemic Regions.

OBJECTIVES: Bacterial musculoskeletal infections (MSKIs) are challenging to diagnose because of the clinical overlap with other conditions, including Lyme arthritis. We evaluated the performance of blood biomarkers for the diagnosis of MSKIs in Lyme disease-endemic regions. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study of children 1 to 21 years old with monoarthritis presenting to 1 of 8 Pedi Lyme Net emergency departments for evaluation of potential Lyme disease. Our primary outcome was an MSKI, which was defined as septic arthritis, osteomyelitis or pyomyositis. We compared the diagnostic accuracy of routinely available biomarkers (absolute neutrophil count, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and procalcitonin) to white blood cells for the identification of an MSKI using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: We identified 1423 children with monoarthritis, of which 82 (5.8%) had an MSKI, 405 (28.5%) Lyme arthritis, and 936 (65.8%) other inflammatory arthritis. When compared with white blood cell count (AUC, 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55-0.71), C-reactive protein (0.84; 95% CI, 0.80-0.89; P < .05), procalcitonin (0.82; 95% CI, 0.77-0.88; P < .05), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (0.77; 95% CI, 0.71-0.82; P < .05) had higher AUCs, whereas absolute neutrophil count (0.67; 95% CI, 0.61-0.74; P < .11) had a similar AUC. CONCLUSIONS: Commonly available biomarkers can assist in the initial approach to a potential MSKI in a child. However, no single biomarker has high enough accuracy to be used in isolation, especially in Lyme disease-endemic areas.

Learner Handoffs Within Clinical Rotations: From the Resident Perspective.

PURPOSE: Competency-based medical education relies on repeated longitudinal assessments of learners. Frequent attending physician transitions within clinical rotations present a significant barrier to the educational continuity required in competency-based medical education. Learner handoffs (LHs), or the transfer of information regarding learners on a team among faculty supervisors, is a potential solution. Although literature is available on educational leader and clinical faculty perspectives on LHs, perspectives of the learners have been less well described. METHOD: This qualitative study used thematic analysis of pediatric resident focus groups from 3 programs of varying size and geographic location from July to December 2021. Two authors independently read the first 3 transcripts to generate a codebook and then coded the remaining transcripts independently to ensure thematic saturation. Emerging themes were discussed and revised until a consensus was achieved. RESULTS: Forty-four pediatric residents from 3 programs participated in 8 focus groups. Themes were identified regarding LHs' positive impact on the (1) learner, (2) clinical practice, and (3) learning environment. Participants described numerous positive benefits to their own development, team functioning, trust, and patient safety. This experience was counterbalanced by risk of bias in the current LH context. Suggestions for the implementation of a structured LH framework were provided, with a focus on the content ( what information), process ( who is involved), and format ( how is it delivered) of LHs. Participants believed that the creation of a structured LH tool may mitigate perceived challenges, including bias and lack of transparency. CONCLUSIONS: Residents recognize potential benefits to learners themselves, their clinical practice, and their learning environment through LHs but express concerns regarding further propagating bias. The development of a structured and learner-centered LH tool could accelerate learner professional development while mitigating perceived challenges. Future research should define essential components of an LH model with input from all key stakeholders.