A simple combination of blood and urine tests may allow many infants with fevers (febrile) to safely avoid lumbar punctures (spinal taps), according to new findings from a major international study published today in聽. The results show that these noninvasive tests can reliably identify infants with fevers 28 days and younger who are at very low risk for invasive bacterial infections.
鈥淔or more than 40 years, pediatric researchers have been trying to determine how to safely do less testing for febrile infants in the first month of life without missing uncommon, but dangerous infections,鈥� said聽 lead author of the study and pediatric emergency physician at the聽.