Trial participants.
infection, hematochezia, neutropenic, diarrhea
INFECTION, HEMATOCHEZIA, INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
We prospectively identified children who presented with hematochezia to the ED. Children were eligible if they were aged 6 months to 17.99 years of age and had ≥3 episodes of diarrhea within the preceding 24 h, with at least one of these episodes having blood identified in the stool. Children with any of the following were excluded: (i) previously enrolled in the study; (ii) unavailable for day-14 follow-up; (iii) known to be neutropenic (neutrophil count of <1,000/dL), or at high risk of being neutropenic (receiving chemotherapy); (iv) blood work performed within preceding 12 h; (v) documented evidence of a STEC infection based on a specimen submitted for testing during the current illness; (vi) preexisting diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease; or (vii) language barrier that prevented the ability to obtain informed consent and assent.