Abstract
The case notes of 305 patients admitted to hospitals in the U.K. with a diagnosis of bacterial meningitis were studied retrospectively and several items of concern emerged. These included: no antibiotics given to patients (82.6%) pre-admission and blood cultures and throat swabs were not obtained routinely. From the figures presented lumbar puncture appeared to be justified in patients without contraindications. About half the patients with a rash would have remained undiagnosed without a lumbar puncture even if allowance was made for those who did not have a blood culture.
MeSH terms
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Adolescent
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Adult
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Aged
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Anti-Bacterial Agents / administration & dosage
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Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
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Blood / microbiology
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Child
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Child, Preschool
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Female
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Glasgow Coma Scale
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Humans
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Infant
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Male
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Meningitis, Bacterial* / cerebrospinal fluid
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Meningitis, Bacterial* / epidemiology
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Meningitis, Bacterial* / microbiology
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Meningitis, Haemophilus / cerebrospinal fluid
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Meningitis, Haemophilus / epidemiology
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Meningitis, Haemophilus / microbiology
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Meningitis, Meningococcal / cerebrospinal fluid
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Meningitis, Meningococcal / epidemiology
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Meningitis, Meningococcal / microbiology
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Middle Aged
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Outcome Assessment, Health Care
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Patient Admission / standards
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Patient Admission / statistics & numerical data
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Retrospective Studies
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Surveys and Questionnaires
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United Kingdom / epidemiology