This version was machine-translated from German and has not been medically reviewed. The authoritative version is the German version.
Fever & infectious diseases
21 calculators · febrile infant rules, sepsis, meningitis, septic arthritis, Kawasaki disease, BRUE
Here you will find decision rules and scores for fever and infections in children: PECARN rule (Kuppermann 2019), Step-by-Step approach and Rochester criteria for febrile infants, Phoenix Sepsis Score 2024 and the pediatric SIRS criteria according to IPSCC 2005. In addition there are the Bacterial Meningitis Score, the Rule of 7s in Lyme meningitis, Kocher and Caird criteria in septic arthritis of the hip, Kawasaki diagnostic criteria (AHA 2017/2024), BRUE risk classification (AAP 2016), McIsaac score and AAP UTI algorithm 2011. The calculators are intended for structured assessment in the acute setting. Each calculator states its formula and sources.
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McIsaac score (sore throat)
Modified Centor score: probability of streptococcal pharyngitis, −1 to 5 points -
AAP UTI algorithm 2011 / Urinary tract infection risk in febrile infants (historical guideline)
Urinary tract infection risk in children aged 2–24 months by the risk factors of the AAP 2011 guideline (withdrawn in 2021) – not identical to UTICalc (Shaikh 2018/2022) -
PECARN Febrile Infant Rule
Febrile infants ≤ 60 days: urinalysis, neutrophils ≤ 4090/µl, procalcitonin ≤ 1.71 ng/ml → low risk (Kuppermann 2019) -
Step-by-Step Febrile Infant
Sequential risk assessment of febrile infants ≤ 90 days: appearance, age, urine, procalcitonin, CRP/neutrophils -
Rochester Criteria
Low-risk criteria for febrile infants ≤ 60 days (Jaskiewicz 1994) -
Philadelphia Criteria (historical)
Historical low-risk criteria for febrile infants aged 29 to 56 days (Baker 1993) – now superseded by AAP 2021, PECARN and Step-by-Step -
Boston Criteria (historical)
Historical criteria for outpatient treatment of febrile infants aged 28 to 89 days with ceftriaxone (Baskin 1992) – not a reliable exclusion -
Lab-Score
Procalcitonin, CRP and urine dipstick in children aged 7 days to 36 months with fever without source – from 3 points serious bacterial infection more likely (Lacour 2008) -
Yale Observation Scale (YOS)
Six observations in febrile children under 2 years, each 1, 3 or 5 points – above 10 points the child appears ill (McCarthy 1982) -
Melbourne RUPERT Score: oral or intravenous antibiotics for urinary tract infection
Six features, 1 point each, in children aged 12 months and older with a urinary tract infection – from 3 points consider intravenous antibiotics (Scanlan 2024) -
Pediatric SIRS & Sepsis Criteria (IPSCC 2005 – historical)
Historical SIRS criteria of the consensus conference 2005 (temperature, heart and respiratory rate, leukocytes) – no longer recommended for the diagnosis of sepsis since Phoenix 2024 -
Bacterial Meningitis Score
Gram stain, CSF neutrophils, CSF protein, blood neutrophils, seizure – very low risk at 0 points (Nigrovic) -
Kocher Criteria (septic arthritis of the hip)
Fever, non-weight-bearing, ESR ≥ 40 mm/h, leukocytes > 12 000 – probability of septic arthritis 0.2 to 99.6 % -
Caird Criteria
Kocher criteria plus CRP > 2.0 mg/dl – septic arthritis with 3/4/5 factors 83/93/98 % (Caird 2006) -
Kawasaki diagnostic criteria (AHA 2017/2024)
Fever ≥ 4 days plus ≥ 4 principal criteria (AHA 2024); algorithm for incomplete Kawasaki disease with CRP/ESR and laboratory criteria -
BRUE Risk Classification
Brief Resolved Unexplained Event: definition and the seven low-risk criteria of the AAP 2016 -
BRUE 2.0 / Risk after a BRUE: serious underlying diagnosis and event recurrence
Two logistic models after a BRUE (Nama 2022): risk of a serious underlying diagnosis and of event recurrence, with the results of the Canadian validation 2024 -
Feverkidstool / Risk of pneumonia and other serious bacterial infections in fever (Nijman 2013)
Polytomous model of age, sex, temperature, fever duration, vital signs, overall impression and CRP: Risk of pneumonia und einer anderen schweren bakteriellen Infektion bei Kindern von 1 Monat bis 15 Jahren mit Fieber -
Rule of 7s for Lyme Meningitis
Headache < 7 days, < 70 % mononuclear CSF cells, no cranial nerve palsy → low risk of Lyme meningitis -
Tonsillectomy for recurrent tonsillitis: number of episodes per S3 guideline 017/024 and Paradise criteria
Count the physician-documented tonsillitis episodes of the last 1 to 3 years: from 7 in 12 months, 5 per year in 2 years or 3 per year in 3 years tonsillectomy is superior -
Phoenix Sepsis Score
International sepsis criteria 2024: respiration, circulation, coagulation, neurology – sepsis from 2 points, shock with cardiovascular points
Frequently asked questions
Which rule for febrile infants?
For infants up to 60 days there are the PECARN Febrile Infant Rule (Kuppermann 2019) and the Rochester criteria. The Step-by-Step approach (Mintegi 2014) applies to infants up to 90 days without a focus.
How do I distinguish septic arthritis of the hip from transient synovitis?
The Kocher criteria (1999, validation 2004) and the Caird criteria (2006) support this distinction. Both calculators give the probability of septic arthritis from the findings entered. The sources are listed in the calculator.
How do I check the diagnostic criteria for Kawasaki disease?
The Kawasaki diagnostic criteria calculator checks according to the AHA statements 2017 and 2024: complete with fever for 4 days or more and at least 4 of 5 principal criteria according to AHA 2024. The deviations of the 2017 version are also stored.