Acute bacterial meningitis. The pathophysiological sequence of events.

Despite the availability of a new vaccine, acute bacterial meningitis continues to be a potentially life-threatening childhood disease. The mortality rate is approximately 5% and research suggests that many of the survivors suffer from various forms of morbidity. The pediatric intensive care nurse must immediately recognize the signs and symptoms of impending complications so that interventions can be implemented before it becomes impossible to reverse a critical situation and/or to prevent longterm sequelae. Therefore nursing care requires a thorough understanding of the pathophysiological sequence of events of this disease process.