Background: Early-onset sepsis (EOS) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among neonates. Diagnosis of EOS can be difficult as clinical signs are subtle. The use of the Neonatal EOS Calculator (NEOSC) may help screen high-risk neonates for EOS and may result in a significant reduction in unnecessary antibiotic use. Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the NEOSC in screening for EOS in neonates more than 35 weeks age of gestation. Methodology: This was a retrospective, case-control study where 245 septic (cases) and 245 non-septic (controls) neonatal and maternal medical records were reviewed. The EOS risk classification from the NEOSC was compared with the actual clinical outcome. An online statistical software (medcalc.org) was used to compute for the sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR) and accuracy of the NEOSC. Results: Based on the NEOSC, only 64 of 245 clinically septic neonates were truly positive for sepsis while 181 were falsely negative for sepsis. Of the 245 non-septic neonates, 3 were falsely positive for sepsis, while 242 were truly negative for sepsis. With a 95% confidence interval, the computed variables showed a Sn 26.12%, Sp 98.78%, PPV 76.12%, NPV 89.95%, PLR 21.33, and NLR 0.75. The accuracy of the NEOSC is 89.33%. Conclusion The NEOSC had poor sensitivity and is not recommended in screening for EOS in neonates more than 35 weeks age of gestation. It may be used as an adjunct in EOS diagnosis due to its high specificity and accuracy.
Neonatal Sepsis

Background: Neonatal sepsis contributes to significant morbidity and mortality. Blood culture, the gold standard in its diagnosis, has low sensitivity and is affected by multiple factors. Hence the need for markers derived from routine tests to improve diagnosis deserves further studies. Objectives: This study aims to determine the association and optimal cut-off value and diagnostic performance of absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) with early-onset neonatal sepsis in term neonates. Methodology: This was a retrospective, analytical, single-center study of admitted patients from January 2016 to December 2021. Clinical factors were analyzed and NLR and ANC were derived from CBC and interpreted using the Manroe chart. Results: Included were 200 neonates with a median birth AOG of 38 weeks. Microorganisms were isolated from nine of 154 neonates with blood culture, corresponding prevalence of 5.84% (95% CI 2.71–10.80). Initial CBC showed elevated mean WBC and 76.5% of neonates were considered to have elevated ANC. Optimal cut-off point of NLR for detecting culture-proven sepsis was 2.86, with a sensitivity of 88.89% (95% CI, 51.75–99.72%) and specificity of 36.55% (95% CI, 28.72–44.95%). The ANC gave the best balance of sensitivity and specificity with an accuracy of 75.50%. Conclusions The NLR demonstrated good discriminative ability for predicting clinical neonatal sepsis based on ANC. However, individually or simultaneously, these markers demonstrated poor discriminative ability for culture-proven neonatal sepsis in term neonates. ANC and NLR can be used to aid in the diagnosis of clinical neonatal sepsis.
Neonatal Sepsis

Background: Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) has been associated with chorioamnionitis but studies are inconsistent on the relationship between PPROM latency and the risk of chorioamnionitis and early onset sepsis. Objective: To define the association of PPROM latency and the risk of histologic chorioamnionitis (HCA) and early onset neonatal sepsis (EONS). Methodology: A prospective cohort study was done at a public tertiary hospital on 569 mothers with spontaneous rupture of membranes and with fetuses EONS was defined using test of association and Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. The association of HCA with maternal and neonatal characteristics as well as adverse neonatal outcomes were also determined. Results: A total of 569 mothers with PPROM were included. Incidence of HCA and EONS were 13% and 24% respectively. PPROM latency was significantly associated with HCA and is a fair predictor of HCA (AUC = 0.7013; 76% accuracy at 31.5-hour cut-off) but failed as a predictor of EONS (AUC = 0.4799). PPROM, platelet count, CRP, and neutrophil count were ndependent predictors of HCA. HCA was associated with EONS and mortality. Mortality was higher in the presence of both HCA and EONS. Conclusion Longer PPROM is associated with HCA and is a fair predictor of HCA at a cut-off of 31.5 hours. PPROM fails as a predictor of EONS.
Neonatal Sepsis

Abstract:: Neonatal sepsis is one of the leading causes of death among newborns, and diagnoses is a challenge to clinicians. Objectives: The present study describes and compares clinical, and hematological profile of neonates, and culture positive and culture negative neonatal sepsis, Children’s Hospital. Methods: This is a cross sectional study. About with neonatal sepsis with a complete blood count were included in the study. Charts were retrieved from section. Primary outcome measures are the following: increased WBC, increased ANC, IT ratio more than nucleated RBCs. Results Forty-seven (35%) subjects had a positive (65%) patients had a negative blood culture. The significantly associated with clinical sepsis (negative p=0.04). On the other hand, the odds of having a 2.29 times more when the patient has poor suck compared not present with poor suck (OR 2.29, p=0.04). There association with the patients’ demographic and having neonatal sepsis. Conclusion: There was no significant difference in culture or a negative blood culture among any demogr hematological profile tested between culture proven neonatal sepsis. Hence, in clinical sepsis, it is still acceptable despite a normal complete blood count and or a negative blood culture.
Neonatal Sepsis

This study emulates the findings of a study by Zaidi et al. in Pakistan in which the authors reported the similar success story (2). Similar success has been reported in a randomized trial in Africa that found treatment of pneumonia in the neonate by either oral penicillin or procaine benzylpenicillin and gentamycin to be as equally effective (3). The author is confident that this method of combining of both inpatient and outpatient administration of antibiotics for neonatal sepsis will be successful in our local setting due to high quality medical care that is offered by both government and private medical facilities here with many health clinics supporting the local hospitals.
Neonatal Sepsis ; Antibiotics

Background: Neonatal sepsis complicated with neutropenia increases risk of mortality by 50%. The immature neutrophil production of neonates is often overwhelmed by severe infection. Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), a naturally occurring cytokine used to support neutrophil recovery during chemotherapy, is a possible treatment that can improve outcomes of neonatal sepsis. Objectives: To determine the efficacy of G-CSF in decreasing mortality and morbidity in septic neonates. Methodology: Electronic searches were conducted on online journal databases. Unpublished or ongoing studies ere sought in training institutions accredited by the Philippine Pediatric Society. The investigators included randomized control trials using G-CSF on septic neonates. Results: Twenty-two trials were identified and thirteen were assessed to be eligible for review. The studies had a total of 530 participants, with the largest having 78 subjects. Relative risks (RR), mean differences (MD) and standard mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using the fixed effect model and random effects model were reported in the results. There was a significant decrease in mortality (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.99) with a greater reduction for preterm neonates, low birth weight neonates and neutropenic neonates. There was no significant reduction in morbidities caused by neonatal sepsis. Conclusions There is moderate quality evidence that suggests that G-CSF as an adjunct treatment for neonatal sepsis significantly decreases mortality with greater benefit to preterm neonates, low birth weight neonates and those with baseline neutropenia. The studies did not show any benefit in reducing sepsis-related morbidity.
Neonatal Sepsis ; Neutropenia

Background: Neonatal sepsis, a clinical syndrome characterized by non-specific signs and symptoms, is the most common cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. It is classified into early or late-onset depending on the onset of symptoms, if within the first 72 hours or later. Early onset sepsis (EOS) occurs due to ascending infection following rupture of membranes or during passage through an infected birth canal. Late onset sepsis (LOS) can be nosocomial or community-acquired. A high index of suspicion and timely and judicious use of antibiotics are needed to achieve good outcomes. Objective: This study looked into the clinical and bacteriologic profile of neonatal sepsis in a tertiary care hospital from January 2013 to December 2017. Methodology: This was a retrospective observational study. Data on maternal risk factors, mode of delivery, gestational age, birth weight, birth setting, clinical manifestations, and blood culture and sensitivity were gathered. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data. Results: Majority of cases were late onset sepsis with an equal distribution in those born via normal spontaneous delivery (NSD) and cesarean section (CS). There were more culture- positives in low birth weight (LBW) infants and those not delivered within a hospital. The most common maternal risk factor was UTI. Majority of culture-positive newborns presented with respiratory distress, poor feeding, fever, and irritability with respiratory distress being the most common manifestation for both EOS and LOS. Predominant isolates were CONS, E. coli and Klebsiella sp. Both E. coli and Klebsiella were resistant to both first-line empiric antibiotics – ampicillin and gentamicin but highly sensitive to piperacillin-tazobactam and imipenem. Conclusion Clinical signs and symptoms of neonatal sepsis are non-specific. The presence of respiratory distress, fever, poor feeding, and irritability together with other risk factors should raise suspicion for sepsis and prompt investigation and treatment. Predominant isolates seen were CONS, E. coli and Klebsiella sp. with resistance to first-line empiric antibiotics.
Neonatal Sepsis ; Risk Factors

Hernia of the cord (HOC) is a rare condition that results from failure of the viscera to return to the abdominal cavity by the 10th week of fetal development. It sometimes presents together with a patent omphalomesenteric duct (POMD), another rare condition, which occurs earlier in fetal development. A proportion of POMD cases may also have ileal prolapse (IP) through the POMD lumen. Neonates diagnosed with the combination of these rare clinical conditions require immediate surgical intervention to resect the POMD and non-viable bowel segments, reduce the hernia, and repair the umbilical defect. In this case series, we report two neonates diagnosed with HOC with POMD and IP. One patient who had complete IP was not fit for immediate surgery and died of respiratory distress and sepsis. The other patient had a successful surgical correction of the congenital defects, but succumbed to sepsis postoperatively. Treatment of patients with this combination of clinical conditions should focus mainly on both surgical correction, and infection control and management.
Hernia, Umbilical ; Neonatal Sepsis

Background: Serum procalcitonin is a useful biomarker in establishing the presence of bacterial infections and has been used in algorithms to guide antibiotic treatment among adults. It role in pediatric infections, however, remains unclear. Objectives: This research aims to evaluate the impact of serum procalcitonin in guiding antibiotic therapy among pediatric patients with suspected local or systemic infections. Methodology: Randomized controlled trials comparing procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy to clinically guided therapy in pediatric patients with local or systemic infections were searched through MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, HERDIN and ClinicalTrials.gov. Hand search in various search engines was also done. Outcomes included antibiotic usage, morbidity and mortality. Two reviewers independently assessed potentially relevant studies. Statistical analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 using inverse variance weighting and random effects model. Results: Five randomized controlled trials were included. Overall, there was a reduction in antibiotic prescription rate in the procalcitonin group compared to controls for all groups (RD -0.13, 95% CI [-021,0.06]; p <0.00001), however, pooled studies were heterogenous. Subgroup analysis showed that for children with pneumonia, procalcitonin guidance significantly reduced antibiotic prescription rate (RD – 012,95% CI [-021,0.04]; p <0.005 ), and may have potential in reducing the duration of therapy (95% CI [-6.8,2,54], p <0.0001) and antibiotic-related adverse effects (RD- 0.17, 95% CI[-0.24,-0.10], p<0.00001) compared to controls. In one study on neonates with early onset sepsis, procalcitonin guidance reduced antibiotic prescription rate by 27% (p=0.0009) and duration of therapy by 22.4 hours (p=0.0009). Procalcitonin guidance has no significant impact on antibiotic prescription rate in children with fever without a source (RD -0.11, 95% CI[0.28,0.05], p=0.190). Conclusion Procalcitonin guidance significantly reduces antibiotic prescription rate among children with pneumonia and neonates with early onset sepsis. It has the potential in reducing the duration of antibiotic therapy and antibiotic-related side effects in these populations. ON the other hand, it had no impact among children with fever without a source. These results highlight the need for algorithm-based approaches using procalcitonin cut-off values to guide antibiotic therapy in children.
Procalcitonin ; Neonatal Sepsis

Abstract: Sepsis is a common cause of morbidity and mortality among high risk neonates with intrauterine maternal history of infection. Objectives: The main objective of this study is to describe all potentially septic newborns in the neonatal care unit of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGH) including identification of the maternal risk factors and clinico-bacteriologic profile of sepsis of this study population. Methods: This is a retrospective, descriptive study where medical records of all admitted potentially septic neonates from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2006 were reviewed. Neonates who were preterm, asphyxiated, with congenital anomalies and with incomplete charts were excluded. Data such as demographics, maternal risk factors, and clinical course were recorded using a standardized clinical assessment form. Results: Out of 217 subjects, 74% (204) were included in the study. 53% were males, with birth weights of 2500 to (-) 3800 grams (85.29%) and delivered via normal, spontaneous delivery (63.24%). The more common maternal risk factor identified included premature rupture of membranes (77%), non-institutional delivery (9.2%), and maternal urinary tract infection (4.2%). 85.78% of subjects had culture negative results, while 14.22% had culture positive results . Among patients with culture negative results, 22.29% developed clinical signs of sepsis such as poor suck, pneumonia, fever, shock, and thrombocytopenia. In patients with culture positive results, the most common organisms isolated were Enterobacter aerogenes (55%), Acinetobacter baumanii (14%) and Coagulase negative staphylococcus (14%). Among these patients, 10 % presented with meningitis, pneumonia, and poor suck. Empiric antibiotics used at the time of study were Penicillin G and an aminoglycoside. 66% of the asymptomatic patients with culture negative results had 3 days duration of treatment. 94.6% went home improved. Conclusion Pediatricians should have a high index of suspicion for the possibility of sepsis guided by complete perinatal history, thorough physical examination, and laboratory work-up. Even with negative blood culture results, neonates with maternal risk factors can develop signs and symptoms of sepsis; and with the emergence of new pathogens that may cause early neonatal sepsis, it is prudent to do blood culture and sensitivity and start empiric antibiotics.
Neonatal Sepsis ; Enterobacter