Review Article
Diagnosis and Management of Bacterial Meningitis in the Paediatric Population: A Review
Table 2
Contraindications to lumbar puncture [
9].
| Contraindication | Comment |
| Raised intracranial pressure: | | Alteration in level of consciousness | | Papilloedema | | Focal neurological signs | Excluding an isolated cranial nerve VI or VII palsy | Prolonged seizures | Delay lumbar puncture for 30 minutes in simple, short seizures only |
| History of selected CNS disease | CSF shunts, hydrocephalus, trauma, post neurosurgery, or known space-occupying lesion |
| Immunocompromise | HIV/AIDS, on immunosuppressive therapy, post-transplantation |
| Coagulation disorders | |
| Cardiorespiratory insufficiency | |
| Localised infection at site of needle insertion | |
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