Meningitis; a review of one year's cases from an active children's hospital service.

Fifty-six cases of bacterial meningitides, other than tuberculous, observed in a period of one year on an active children's hospital medical service were reviewed. All age groups were involved but most commonly infected were patients in the first year of life. There was no inordinate incidence of infection with any one kind of organism in any specific age bracket, except possibly for infection with enteric organisms which in the present series occurred preponderantly in infants less than six months old. Meningococcus and H. influenza type B were the most common organisms; they were the infecting agents in 71 per cent of cases. Of the immediate complications noted, subdural effusions were the most common (23 per cent of this series). In all except two cases, effusion was resolved by multiple aspirations. In two cases craniotomy was done with good results. Ten electroencephalograms were made and all were abnormal. In most of the patients, multiple antibiotic and chemotherapeutic drugs were used, parenterally during the first few days of hospitalization and then orally as tolerated. Intraspinal therapy was not given. Four of the 56 patients died.