II. Indications

  1. Meningitis evaluation in children over age 2 months and under age 19 years old

III. Contraindications: Exclusion Criteria

  1. Neurosurgical history
  2. Immunosuppression
  3. CSF RBC Count >0.1 x10^6/ul (>1000/ul)
  4. Antibiotic use in last 48 hours
  5. Purpura

IV. Criteria (1 point for each)

  1. CSF Gram Stain Positive for organisms
  2. CSF Protein >79 mg/dl
  3. Seizure related to current episode
  4. Peripheral Absolute Neutrophil Count > 10,000 cells/mm3
  5. CSF Absolute Neutrophil Count >1000 cells/mm3

V. Efficacy

VI. Interpretation

  1. Positive if presence of any of above (1 or more points)
    1. Suggests higher likelihood of Bacterial Meningitis
  2. Negative if all criteria are absent
    1. Suggests very low risk of Bacterial Meningitis (<0.1%)

Images: Related links to external sites (from Bing)

Related Studies