Prognostic roles of time to positivity of blood culture in children with Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteremia

We aimed to investigate the relationship between time to positivity (TTP) of blood cultures and clinical outcomes in children with S. pneumoniae bacteremia. Children with S. pneumoniae bacteremia hospitalized in Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from May 2011 to December 2017 were enrolled retrospectively. Overall, 136 children with S. pneumoniae bacteremia were enrolled. The standard cutoff TTP was 12 h. We stated that in-hospital mortality is significantly higher in the early TTP (≤ 12 h) group than that in the late TTP (> 12 h) group (41.70% vs 8.00%, P < 0.001). Septic shock occurred in 58.30% of patients with early TTP and in 21.00% of patients with late TTP (P < 0.001). Independent risk factors of in-hospital mortality and septic shock in children with S. pneumoniae bacteremia included early TTP, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, and PRISM III score ≥ 10. Overall, TTP ≤ 12 h appeared to associate with the worse outcomes for children with S. pneumoniae bacteremia.