About this episode

This episode discusses the re-evaluation of lumbar punctures in well-appearing febrile infants.

Reference: Burstein B, et al. Prediction of Bacteremia and Bacterial Meningitis Among Febrile Infants Aged 28 Days or Younger. JAMA. Published online December 08, 2025. Date: April 3, 2026 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Margarita Ramos is a pediatric hospitalist at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University […] The post SGEM #508: How Low Can You Go? Rethinking Lumbar Punctures in Well-Appearing Febrile Infants first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine .

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Ken Milne

Guest: Dr. Margarita Ramos

Topics covered

• lumbar punctures
• febrile infants
• bacteremia
• bacterial meningitis
• pediatrics

Keywords

• lumbar puncture
• febrile infants
• bacteremia
• bacterial meningitis
• pediatrics
• emergency medicine

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Children’s National Hospital, George Washington University, JAMA

Books & works: Prediction of Bacteremia and Bacterial Meningitis Among Febrile Infants Aged 28 Days or Younger

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• SGEM#507: Till Everybody Got Delirious – Geriatric Patients in the Emergency Department · April 11, 2026 · 39 min
• SGEM Xtra: You You You Oughta Know – GED 2.0 Guidelines · April 4, 2026 · 38 min
• SGEM Xtra: This One Goes to 11 – ATLS 11th Edition · March 28, 2026 · 33 min

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