An Emergency Department Quality Improvement Project to Decrease Lumbar Puncture Rates in Febrile Infants 22 to 28 Days Old.

Introduction: Most providers have routinely performed universal lumbar puncture (LP) on well-appearing, febrile infants 22 to 28 days old. In 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended clinicians should perform an LP in this age group if inflammatory markers are abnormal. This quality improvement project aimed to decrease LP rates in febrile infants 22 to 28 days old in the emergency department (ED) within 1 year, regardless of race/ethnicity, from a baseline of 87%. Methods: We used our institution's quality improvement framework to perform multiple Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. A multidisciplinary team reviewed the febrile infant literature, local epidemiology, and identified key drivers. We provided departmental education, updated our clinical pathway, and used clinical decision support. We analyzed baseline (January 2017-March 2022) and intervention data (April 2022-March 2024) and tracked data using statistical process control charts. Our primary outcome measure was rates of LP in the ED for this cohort. Process measures included rates of infants with procalcitonin results. ED length of stay, rates of first LP attempt after hospitalization, and missed bacterial meningitis were balancing measures. Results: The baseline LP rate of 87% decreased to 44% during the intervention period, resulting in a downward centerline shift. There were no significant differences when LP rates were analyzed by race/ethnicity. There was an upward centerline shift in the process measure of infants with procalcitonin results. There was no observed special cause variation in our balancing measures. Conclusion: Quality improvement efforts, including education, clinical pathway updates, and clinical decision support, safely reduced rates of LPs in febrile infants 22 to 28 days old.

Management of long toe flexor spasticity in the equinus foot in cerebral palsy.

Toe flexor tightness becomes apparent in the plantigrade attitude achieved by isolated tendoachilles lengthening in cerebral palsy. This frequently persists, resulting in abnormal weight-bearing on the tips of the toes. To address this problem, at the time of limited tendoachilles lengthening, we performed Z-lengthenings of the flexor hallucis longus and the flexor digitorum longus tendons above the medial malleolus, preserving the pulley mechanism. From January 1998 to October 2001, 41 children (74 feet) with cerebral palsy underwent lengthening of the tendoachilles and long toe flexor tendons. The mean age at surgery was 7 years. The correction achieved was successfully maintained long-term, permitting a normal heel-metatarsal head weight-bearing pattern. Lengthening of the long toe flexors, in conjuction with tendoachilles lengthening, is an effective means of achieving a balanced foot in cerebral palsy.