Canadian infants presenting with Brief Resolved Unexplained Events (BRUEs) and validation of clinical prediction rules for risk stratification: a protocol for a multicentre, retrospective cohort study

IntroductionBrief Resolved Unexplained Events (BRUEs) are a common presentation among infants. While most of these events are benign and self-limited, guidelines published by the American Academy of Pediatrics inaccurately identify many patients as higher-risk of a serious underlying aetiology (positive predictive value 5%). Recently, new clinical prediction rules have been derived to more accurately stratify patients. This data were however geographically limited to the USA, with no large studies to date assessing the BRUE population in a different healthcare setting. The study’s aim is to describe the clinical management and outcomes of infants presenting to Canadian hospitals with BRUEs and to externally validate the BRUE clinical prediction rules in identified cases.Methods and analysisThis is a multicentre retrospective study, conducted within the Canadian Paediatric Inpatient Research Network (PIRN). Infants (