The American journal of emergency medicine
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Am J Emerg Med
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Patients with septic episodes whose blood cultures turn positive after being sent home from emergency departments (EDs) are recognized as having occult bloodstream infections (BSI). The incidence, etiology, clinical circumstances, and outcome of occult BSI in children are well known, but, to our knowledge, data in adult patients are scarce. We analyzed the episodes of occult BSI in adult patients at our institution. ⋯ Occult BSI is relatively common in patients in the adult ED. Despite the need for readmission of a fairly high proportion of patients, occult BSI behaves as a relatively benign entity.