Should Infants Presenting with an Apparent Life-Threatening Event Undergo Evaluation for Serious Bacterial Infections and Respiratory Pathogens?

We sought to identify which patients with an apparent life-threatening event require infectious evaluation through an analysis of infants aged ≤12 months brought to an emergency department with an apparent life-threatening event. Among the 533 children evaluated, there were no cases of meningitis, 1 case of bacteremia, 17 cases of urinary tract infection, 22 cases of bacterial pneumonia, 22 cases of respiratory syncytial virus, and 2 cases of influenza virus identified in respiratory specimens.