Evaluation of haematological scoring system as a screening tool for early detection of neonatal sepsis

Abstract

Background: Early diagnosis of neonatal septicemia is a vexing problem because of its nonspecific clinical picture. Hence the timely diagnosis of sepsis in neonates is critical as the illness can be rapidly progressive and, in some instances, fatal. The current study was undertaken to assess the significance of the hematological scoring system (HSS) for early detection of neonatal sepsis. Objectives were to assess the effectiveness of HSS in early detection of neonatal sepsis by comparing it with blood culture result, in neonates who were clinically suspected to have bacterial infection Methods: This is a descriptive study done in TDMCH, Vandanam for a period of 1 year. All babies who were at risk of developing sepsis were studied after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Blood samples were collected and subjected to sepsis work up. HSS scoring was done. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), Negative predictive value (NPV) of HSS and each of its components were calculated. Results: Among the 85 neonates studied, 39 (45.9%) were blood culture positive, 42 (49.4%) had HSS score of 5 or more. HSS score had sensitivity of 92.31%, specificity of 86.96%, PPV of 85.71% and NPV of 93.02%. Conclusions: HSS score of ≥5 had high NPV and would play a major role in ruling out neonatal sepsis.