Management of febrile infants is challenging due to the increased risk of serious bacterial infections and it varies among physicians and hospitals. The goals of this study were to describe and compare the management of febrile infants aged 1–2 months in a hospital in 2011 and 2016.

We conducted a retrospective study in the Bordeaux Pellegrin University Hospital, France, in 2011 and 2016. All infants aged 1–2 months with diagnosis codes referring to fever were included. Data on infant characteristics, fever episodes, clinical symptoms, and management were collected from medical charts. Univariate analyses and multivariate logistic models were used.

A total of 530 infants were included; 89.2% had blood testing and 81.1% urine testing; 79.6% of the infants were hospitalized, three of them in the pediatric intensive care unit. The median hospitalization duration was 3 days. In the sample investigated, 59.8% of the infants received antibiotic therapy and 128 (24.1%) had bacterial infections with no difference between 2011 and 2016. The main bacterial infection was pyelonephritis (86.7%). Urethral catheterization was implemented in 2016, whereas a urine bag was utilized for 174 out of 177 infants in 2011. The percentage of contaminated urine cultures was higher in 2011 (35.9%) than in 2016 (19.6%, P<0.001). The hospitalization rate was higher in 2016.

Management of febrile infants changed between 2011 and 2016. The hospitalization rate and antibiotic therapy use remained high regarding the rate of bacterial infection. Use of urethral catheterization decreased the level of contamination.