What happens when a febrile infant presents at 61 days old? Are they suddenly low risk for invasive bacterial infections? In this episode, we explore the gray zone of managing febrile infants aged 61–90 days with the help of two new clinical prediction rules from PECARN. Joining us are two powerhouses in pediatric emergency medicine: Dr. Nate Kuppermann and Dr. Paul Aronson, who walk us through their recent study published in Pediatrics. We discuss why prior research has traditionally stopped at 60 days, what the new data shows about risk in this slightly older age group, and how these rules might help guide clinical decision-making. This study fills a long-standing gap—but should we start using the rules now? Tune in for a nuanced discussion on sensitivity, missed cases, practical application, and the future of risk stratification in young infants with fever.
What is your practice in terms of work-up of 2-3 month old febrile infants? Will this change what you do? Hit us up social media
@empulsepodcast or connect with us on
ucdavisem.com
Hosts:
Dr. Julia Magaña, Professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at UC Davis
Dr. Sarah Medeiros, Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis
Guests:
Dr. Nate Kuppermann, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer; Director, Children's National Research Institute; Department Chair, Pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Dr. Paul Aronson, Professor of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine); Deputy Director, Pediatric Residency Program at Yale University School of Medicine
Resources:
“Hot” Off the Press: Infant Fever Rule
Do I really need to LP a febrile infant with a UTI?
Aronson PL, Mahajan P, Meeks HD, Nielsen B, Olsen CS, Casper TC, Grundmeier RW, Kuppermann N; PECARN Registry Working Group. Prediction Rule to Identify Febrile Infants 61-90 Days at Low Risk for Invasive Bacterial Infections. Pediatrics. 2025 Sep 1;156(3):e2025071666. doi: 10.1542/peds.2025-071666. PMID: 40854562; PMCID: PMC12432541.
Kuppermann N, Dayan PS, Levine DA, Vitale M, Tzimenatos L, Tunik MG, Saunders M, Ruddy RM, Roosevelt G, Rogers AJ, Powell EC, Nigrovic LE, Muenzer J, Linakis JG, Grisanti K, Jaffe DM, Hoyle JD Jr, Greenberg R, Gattu R, Cruz AT, Crain EF, Cohen DM, Brayer A, Borgialli D, Bonsu B, Browne L, Blumberg S, Bennett JE, Atabaki SM, Anders J, Alpern ER, Miller B, Casper TC, Dean JM, Ramilo O, Mahajan P; Febrile Infant Working Group of the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN). A Clinical Prediction Rule to Identify Febrile Infants 60 Days and Younger at Low Risk for Serious Bacterial Infections. JAMA Pediatr. 2019 Apr 1;173(4):342-351. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.5501. PMID: 30776077; PMCID: PMC6450281.
Pantell RH, Roberts KB, Adams WG, Dreyer BP, Kuppermann N, O'Leary ST, Okechukwu K, Woods CR Jr; SUBCOMMITTEE ON FEBRILE INFANTS. Evaluation and Management of Well-Appearing Febrile Infants 8 to 60 Days Old. Pediatrics. 2021 Aug;148(2):e2021052228. doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-052228. Epub 2021 Jul 19. Erratum in: Pediatrics.
