Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis: An Update on Early Identification and Management (Pharmacology CME)

Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis: An Update on Early Identification and Management (Pharmacology CME) is organized by EB Medicine.

Date of Original Release: November 1, 2018
Date of most recent review:  October 15, 2018
Termination date: November 1, 2021.
CME Expiration Date: December 1, 2021

Target Audience:
This enduring Online CME material is outlined for emergency medicine physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and residents.

CME Credits:
4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, 4 ACEP Category I Credits, 4 AAFP Prescribed Credits, 4 AOA Category 2-A or 2-B Credits. 

Specialty CME Credits: Included as part of the 4 credits, this CME activity is eligible for 4 Infectious Disease CME and 1.5 Pharmacology CME credits

About this Issue:
As bacterial meningitis can impersonate with many signs and symptoms, differentiation of bacterial meningitis from viral meningitis and from other mimics can be challenging. If the presentation is not “classic” in nature, the diagnostic and therapeutic delay can happen, often with disastrous consequences. This issue presents evidence-based support for the early diagnosis and appropriate administration of bacterial meningitis in pediatric patients. You will learn:
•  The most usual causative pathogens, based on patient age
•  Typical clinical findings that are compatible with bacterial meningitis and how they vary for patients in different age groups
•  Which physical examination decisions indicate that a patient should undergo lumbar puncture
•  Inflammatory markers in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid, such as procalcitonin, can ease the detection of serious bacterial illness
•  How clinical prediction scores, such as the bacterial meningitis score, can help distinguish between bacterial meningitis and viral meningitis
•  Which antibiotics are recommended, and when they should be started
•  The potential benefits of adjunct therapies, such as corticosteroids, and when they are indicated

Goals: 
Upon fulfillment of this activity, you should be able to: 
• describe medical decision-making based on the most effective clinical evidence; 
• cost-effectively diagnose and treat the most critical ED presentations
• represent the most common medicolegal pitfalls for each topic covered.

CME Objectives:
At the conclusion of the session, you should be able to:
• Recognize the populations that are at high danger for bacterial meningitis
• Identify the shifting of clinical presentations of patients with bacterial meningitis
• Consider the challenges in making a prompt diagnosis
• Detect and manage patients with bacterial meningitis.