National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)
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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
Neonatal sepsis is a clinical syndrome of bacteremia characterized by systemic signs and symptoms of infection in the first month of life. It has been a challenge with its high incidence and grave prognosis, despite adequate treatment with modern antibiotics. The signs and symptoms are protean with a high mortality and thus there is urgent need to know whether the baby has sepsis. Confirmation of the diagnosis by definitive culture is not rapidly possible. Sepsis screen tests involving WBC indices and CRP form simple, cheap, rapid, early and easily available parameters and these can be used as non-specific indicators of bacterial sepsis. Thus this study was conducted to determine the Sensitivity, Specificity, Predictive values of sepsis screen tests, as an indicator of neonatal sepsis in comparison with blood culture. In this prospective study, blood samples were collected from clinically suspected cases of neonatal sepsis and were Investigated for estimation of C-reactive protein, Total WBC count, Absolute neutrophil count, Band cell count and I/T ratio. Blood Culture and Antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed as per standard protocols. Out of 80 cases studied, 41 cases (51.25%.) yielded a positive culture. I/T ratio and CRP have good sensitivity and negative predictive value. Neutropenia and leucopenia have highest specificity and positive predictive value. If > 2 of the above tests are positive, sensitivity and negative predictive value of the screening tool increased to more than 90%. Thus sepsis screening parameters are easily available, rapid, cost effective screening tests with good sensitivity and negative predictive value so that if any of the two screening tests are negative, the infection is unlikely. CRP alone is also a good diagnostic and therapeutic tool. It has high sensitivity and a good negative predictive value.
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