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Table 4 Treatment and outcomes of 284 hospitalised children meeting the clinical case definition for CNS infection

From: The aetiologies of central nervous system infections in hospitalised Cambodian children

Feature

1-11 m

1-4y

5-15y

Overall

P-value

 

(n = 68)

(n = 108)

(n = 108)

(n = 284)

 

Admission duration (days), median (range)

5 (1–49)

4 (1–23)

7 (0–68)

5 (0–68)

<0.0001

Empiric antibiotic treatmenta, n (%)

 Ampicillin

1 (1.5)

2 (1.9)

0 (0)

3 (1.1)

0.3

 Ceftriaxone

41 (60.3)

67 (62.0)

92 (85.2)

200 (70.4)

0.0001

 Imipenem / meropenem

0 (0)

1 (0.9)

0 (0)

1 (0.4)

0.9

 Other single antibiotic drug

1 (1.5)

5 (4.6)

2 (1.9)

8 (2.8)

0.9

 Multiple empiric antibiotics

6 (8.8)

9 (8.3)

9 (8.3)

24 (8.5)

0.9

 No empiric antibiotics

19 (27.9)

24 (22.2)

5 (4.6)

48 (16.9)

<0.0001

No antibiotic given, n (%)

16 (23.5)

22 (20.4)

2 (1.9)

40 (14.1)

<0.0001

Dexamethasone, n (%)

14 (20.6)

13 (12.0)

44/107 (41.1)

71/283 (25.1)

0.0003

ICU care, n (%)

25 (36.8)

22 (20.4)

20 (18.5)

67 (23.6)

0.009

Outcome, n (%)

 Home

64 (94.1)

102 (94.4)

103 (95.4)

269 (94.7)

0.7

 Death (incl. Home to die) b

1 (1.5)

2 (1.9)

4 (3.7)

7 (2.5)

0.3

 Unknown (transfer / LAMA c )

3 (4.4)

4 (3.7)

1 (0.9)

8 (2.8)

0.3

CNS infection case classification, n (%)

 Confirmed

11 (16.2)

20 (18.5)

24 (22.2)

55 (19.3)

0.3

 Probable

1 (1.5)

2 (1.9)

33 (30.6)

36 (12.7)

<0.0001

 Suspected

56 (82.3)

86 (79.6)

51 (47.2)

193 (68.0)

<0.0001

  1. aDefined as treatment initiated within the first 48 h of hospital admission
  2. bOne patient was taken home when condition was deemed hopeless
  3. cLeft against medical advice