Study on Correlation between Sepsis Screening and Blood Culture in Neonatal Sepsis

Abstract

Objective: Neonatal septicemia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in newborn inborn. As the clinical manifestations are vague and nonspecific, it is pertinent that an early diagnosis is made to prevent serious morbidity and mortality. So, an attempt was made to establish correlation between sepsis screening & blood culture in neonate presenting with features of sepsis to accelerate the diagnostic process. Research and Methods: In our study we tried to study (1) early indicators of sepsis screen & their statistical correlation with blood culture (considered as gold standard); (2) different aspects of outcome in neonatal sepsis. Results: Though individual sepsis screen parameters showed little correlation with blood culture status, yet on combination it was found that specificity and positive predictive accuracy increased while sensitivity decreased them individual tests. Also combination of tests yield better results than single tests. Conclusion: The combination of parameters yielded better results than single tests and proved to be an invaluable aid for early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis.