CLINICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF NEONATAL SEPSIS IN A PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL

Abstract

Neonatal sepsis continues to be a common and significant health burden, especially in very low birth weight newborns. Although intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis has dramatically decreased the incidence of early-onset group B streptococcal infection, it remains an important cause of neonatal sepsis. The objective of the study was to determine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of newborns with sepsis at the Teodoro Maldonado Carbo specialty hospital in the 2015-2016 period. The present study is analytical, non-experimental, cross-sectional and retrospective. 104 medical records of newborns who entered the neonatal intensive care unit of Teodoro Maldonado Carbo hospital with a diagnosis of sepsis in the period from January 1, 2015 until December 31, 2016 were analyzed. A total of 55 results were detected blood culture positive (52.9%), with Gram negative bacteria being the most frequent, especially Eschericha coli (79%). Preterm infants (51%) of male sex (65.4%) were the most affected group. 62.5% presented early sepsis and 37.5% presented late sepsis. Respiratory difficulty (78%) and vomiting (44%) was the most common form of clinical presentation.

Keywords: Neonatal sepsis, antibiotic prophylaxis, streptococcal infection.

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