Sepsis Evaluation Research Articles

Fluid Balance and Its Association With Mortality and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Nonprespecified Secondary Analysis of the Life After Pediatric Sepsis Evaluation.

To evaluate the association between fluid balance (FB) and health-related quality of life (HRQL) among children at 1 month following community-acquired septic shock. Nonprespecified secondary analysis of the Life After Pediatric Sepsis Evaluation. FB was defined as 100 × [(cumulative PICU fluid input - cumulative PICU fluid output)/PICU admission weight]. Three subgroups were identified: low FB (< 5%), medium FB (5%-15%), and high FB (> 15%) based on cumulative FB on days 0-3 of ICU stay. HRQL was measured at ICU admission and 1 month after using Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 Generic Core or Infant Scales or the Stein-Jessop Functional Status Scale. The primary outcome was a composite of mortality or greater than 25% decline in HRQL 1 month after admission compared with baseline. Twelve academic PICUs in the United States. Critically ill children between 1 month and 18 years, with community-acquired septic shock who survived to at least day 4. None. Two hundred ninety-three patients were included of whom 66 (23%) had low FB, 127 (43%) had medium FB, and 100 (34%) had high FB. There was no difference in Pediatric Risk of Mortality Score 3 (median 11 [6, 17]), age (median 5 [1, 12]), or gender (47% female) between FB groups. After adjusting for potential confounders and comparing with medium FB, higher odds of mortality or greater than 25% HRQL decline were seen in both the low FB (odds ratio [OR] 2.79 [1.20, 6.57]) and the high FB (OR 2.16 [1.06, 4.47]), p = 0.027. Compared with medium FB, low FB (OR 4.3 [1.62, 11.84]) and high FB (OR 3.29 [1.42, 8.00]) had higher odds of greater than 25% HRQL decline. Over half of the children who survived septic shock had low or high FB, which was associated with a significant decline in HRQL scores. Prospective studies are needed to determine if optimization of FB can improve HRQL outcomes.

Risk factors for neonatal sepsis among neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and Adare General Hospital in Hawassa City, Ethiopia.

Neonatal sepsis (NS) is a serious blood bacterial infection in children of 28 days or younger, manifested by systemic signs and symptoms of infection. Neonatal sepsis has become one of the leading causes of admission and death in developing countries like Ethiopia. Understanding different risk factors for neonatal sepsis is essential for early diagnosis and treatment. So, this study aimed to assess the risk factors for neonatal sepsis among neonates at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and Adare General Hospital in Hawassa City, Ethiopia. A case-control study design was employed on 264 neonates (66 cases and 198 controls) in Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and Adare General Hospital from April to June 2018. Data were collected by interviewing the mothers and reviewing neonates' medical records. The data were edited, cleaned, coded, and entered into Epi info version 7 and were transported and analyzed using SPSS version 20. The odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the significance of the associations. A total of 264 neonates (66 cases and 198 controls) with 100% response rate. The mean (±SD) age of mothers was 26 ± 4.042 years. The majority (84.8%) of the cases were found in children under 7 days, with a mean age of 3.32 days ± 3.376 SD. Factors such as prolonged rupture of the membrane [AOR = 4.627; 95% CI (1.997-10.72)], history of the urinary tract or sexually transmitted infections [AOR = 2.5; 95% CI (1.151-5.726)], intrapartum fever [AOR = 3.481; 95% CI (1.18-10.21)], foul smelling liquor [AOR = 3.64; 95% CI (1.034-12.86)], and low APGAR score in the fifth minute [AOR = 3.38; 95% CI (1.107-10.31)] were the independent predictors of neonatal sepsis. Prolonged rupture of the membrane, intrapartum fever, urinary tract infection, foul-smelling liquor, and low APGAR score were independent risk factors of neonatal sepsis, and this study also observed that the onset of neonatal sepsis was higher in the first week of a neonate's life. Routine sepsis evaluation must focus on neonates born with the aforementioned characteristics and make interventions for babies born with these risk factors.

Blood culture collection practices in NICU; A national survey.

Sepsis is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in neonates. Blood cultures are the gold standard in diagnosing neonatal sepsis; however, there are currently no consensus guidelines for blood culture collection in neonates and significant practice variation exists in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) globally. To examine current practices in obtaining blood cultures in the evaluation of neonatal sepsis in NICUs across Canada. A nine-item electronic survey was sent to each of the 29 level-3 NICUs in Canada, which are equipped to provide highly specialized care for newborns. Responses were received from 90% (26/29) of sites. Sixty-five percent (17/26) of sites have blood culture collection guidelines for the investigation of neonatal sepsis. Forty-eight percent (12/25) of sites routinely target 1.0 mL per culture bottle. In late-onset sepsis (LOS), 58% (15/26) of sites process one aerobic culture bottle, whereas four sites routinely add anaerobic culture bottles. In early-onset sepsis (EOS) in very low birth weight infants (BW <1.5 kg), 73% (19/26) of sites use umbilical cord blood, and 72% (18/25) use peripheral venipuncture. Two sites routinely collect cord blood for culture in EOS. Only one site applies the concept of differential time-to-positivity to diagnose central-line-associated bloodstream infection. There is significant practice variation in methods used to obtain blood cultures in level-3 NICUs across Canada. Standardization of blood culture collection practices can provide reliable estimates of the true incidence of neonatal sepsis and help to develop appropriate antimicrobial stewardship strategies.

Disseminating MSSA Infection in a Preterm Infant With Rare Finding of Spinal Epidural Abscess: A Case Report.

Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) occurs more frequently in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) than methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and can result in comparable morbidity and mortality in the neonatal population. MSSA infection may present as pustulosis or cellulitis and evolve into bacteremia, pneumonia, endocarditis, brain abscesses, and osteomyelitis. There is a paucity of literature regarding the treatment and long-term outcomes in the premature infant. A 32-week twin developed MSSA sepsis with presentation of pain, decreased movement of upper extremities, and global hypotonia. Blood cultures remained positive despite antibiotic coverage. The infant was admitted to the level IV NICU with the diagnosis of MSSA bacteremia, with concern for dissemination and osteomyelitis. Diagnostic studies included laboratory testing for sepsis evaluation, radiologic studies to evaluate for dissemination, immunologic testing to rule out complement deficiency, and hematology testing to rule out hypercoagulable conditions. Diagnostic testing showed extensive cellulitis, osteomyelitis, multiple liver abscesses, and epidural abscesses suggestive of spinal epidural abscess (SEA). Abscess debridement and irrigation on the left distal femur, left elbow, and right tibia were performed. The infant completed 8 weeks of IV antibiotic therapy. Immunologic and hematology testing was within normal limits. Prompt recognition and follow-up for clinical signs of sepsis are vital when caring for premature infants. Inclusion of pediatric subspecialist recommendations to assure all diagnostic studies and treatments are completed can significantly impact the patient's outcome. Long-term follow-up is needed for premature infants with the diagnosis of SEA.

COMPARISON BETWEEN C-REACTIVE PROTEIN AND SERUM LACTATE IN EVALUATION OF SEPSIS INDUCED ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY AND SEPSIS WITHOUT ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY

Background One of the main causes of death in critically ill patients is sepsis. In Intensive care unit half of the patients develop Acute Kidney Injury, and has high mortality rates. In assessment of sepsis there are multiple markers in which C-reactive protein, serum lactate are commonly used. C-reactive protein is known biomarker of inammation and involved in several immunological functions. Aim To correlate C-reactive protein and Serum lactate in evaluation of sepsis induced acute kidney injury and compare these parameters in sepsis without acute kidney injury. Materials &amp; Methods This is a Cross-sectional study which will be done at Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Pondicherry. This study comprises of 52 patients out of which Group 1 are 26 patients having sepsis with AKI and Group 2 are 26 patients are having sepsis without AKI. Complete case history including the socio-demographic data and other medical conditions of the patient was recorded and &amp; the collected blood samples were recorded for CRP, Serum lactate as well as other parameters. Results Mean age of subjects in sepsis with AKI and sepsis without AKI are almost similar, with 55.8 % being females. 90% of sepsis with AKI group and 76% of sepsis without AKI group has CRP of &gt;10 and 42% of sepsis with AKI group and 34% of sepsis without AKI group has Lactate of &gt;2. Conclusion CRP and Serum lactate are markers of inammation. CRP has been used to monitor the course of infection and inammatory diseases. CRP has not only a biochemical marker of inammation but also an active modulator of the inammatory response.

Using the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Wisely: A National Survey of Clinicians Regarding Practices for Lower-Acuity Care.

The objective of this study was to document the practices and preferences of neonatal care stakeholders regarding location and duration of care for newborns with low illness acuity. We developed a survey instrument that comprised 14 questions across 2 global scenarios and 7 specific clinical conditions. The latter included apnea of prematurity, gestational age for neonatal intensive care unit admission, jaundice, neonatal opioid withdrawal, thermoregulation, and sepsis evaluation. Respondents reported their current practice and preferences for an alternative approach. We administered the survey to individuals in the membership email distribution lists of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, and the Vermont Oxford Network. Of 2284 respondents, 53% believed that infants were, in general, admitted to a higher level of care than was required, and only 13% reported that the level of care was too low. Length of stay was perceived to be generally too long by 46% of respondents and too short by 21%. Across 10 specific clinical questions, there was substantial variability in current practice and up to 35% of respondents reported discordance between current and preferred practice. These respondents preferred a lower level of care in 8 of 10 scenarios. A multidisciplinary sample of US clinicians reported significant variation in the level and duration of care for infants with low illness acuity. Among individuals reporting discordance between current and preferred practice, a majority believed that current management could be accomplished in a lower level of care location.

Urinary Tract Infections in Low Birth Weight Neonates.

Our objective was to evaluate the incidence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in low birth weight (LBW) neonates and to evaluate the compliance of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) providers in performing urine cultures as a part of late-onset sepsis (LOS) evaluations following an educational intervention. A retrospective chart review for all LBW infants undergoing LOS evaluations was performed. An educational intervention was conducted to encourage NICU providers to perform urine cultures in LOS evaluations. Prospective chart reviews were conducted following the intervention to assess compliance with the urine culture directive and the incidence of UTIs before and after the intervention. Rate of UTIs among LBW neonates was 1.3% for the entire study period and typical uropathogens were the cause. UTIs were found concurrently with bacteremia in only 33.3% of cases and showed a predilection for male infants when analyzing based on the number of infections. Urine cultures were performed in 20% of LOS evaluations prior to our educational intervention and increased to 57% (p < 0.0001) postintervention. An educational intervention is effective at increasing the rate of obtaining urine cultures with LOS evaluations. Performing these cultures reveals that UTIs in LBW neonates are common without bacteremia and can be missed if they are omitted from LOS evaluations. · UTIs occur often in preterm infants, especially boys.. · Education increases the performance of urine cultures.. · UTIs in preterm infants occur often without bacteremia..

Transcriptomic marker screening for evaluating the mortality rate of pediatric sepsis based on Henry gas solubility optimization

Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening medical condition that increases mortality in pediatric populations admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU). Due to the unpredictable nature of the disease course, it was challenging to find the informative genetic biomarkers at the earliest stages. Consequently, a considerable attention has been paid for the early prediction of pediatric sepsis based on genetic biomarkers analysis that would promote the early medical intervention. Therefore, the proposed study attempted to demonstrate the feasibility of Henry Gas Solubility Optimization (HGSO) in differential gene selection to train supervised machine learning algorithms for the early prediction of pediatric sepsis and survival rate evaluation. 26 nonoverlapping informative genes have been nominated using the gene expression profile of peripheral blood cells. After 20 runs of 5-fold cross-validation, the selected genes revealed its effectiveness in the early identification of sepsis subtypes with an estimated average accuracy of 98.03 ± 0.30 % evaluated using 20 runs of fivefold cross-validation and an average accuracy of 98.83 ± 0.57 % for evaluating the survival rate. Based on the experimental results, the present study using the novel metaheuristic algorithm HGSO determined the highest accuracy, the most predictive and informative genes for pediatric sepsis, thus allowing determination of the appropriate treatment plan.

Standardizing Prostaglandin Initiation in Prenatally Diagnosed Ductal-Dependent Neonates; A Quality Initiative.

Prostaglandin E1 (PGE) is used in patients with ductal-dependent congenital heart disease (CHD). Side effects of apnea and fever are often dose dependent and occur within 48h after initiation. We initiated a standardized approach to PGE initiation after our institution recognized a high incidence of side effects and a wide variety of starting doses of PGE. Neonates with prenatally diagnosed ductal-dependent CHD were identified, started on a standardized protocol that started PGE at 0.01 mcg/kg/min, and evaluated for PGE related side effects. Compliance, outcomes and dose adjustments during the first 48h post-PGE initiation were evaluated. Fifty patients were identified (25 pre-intervention; 25 post-intervention). After intervention, compliance with the protocol was 96%, and apnea or fever occurred in 28% (compared to 63% pre-intervention, p = 0.015). Dose adjustments (either increase or decrease) prior to cardiac surgery were similar in both cohorts (60%, 52%, p = 0.569). There were no mortalities or emergent procedures performed due to ductus arteriosus closure. Standardizing a protocol for initiating PGE in prenatally diagnosed ductal-dependent CHD was successful and reduced the incidence of apnea, fever, and sepsis evaluations. A starting dose of 0.01 mcg/kg/min did not cause increased adverse effects.

Diagnostic Performance and Patient Outcomes With C-Reactive Protein Use in Early-Onset Sepsis Evaluations

To determine performance of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the diagnosis of early-onset sepsis, and to assess patient outcomes with and without routine use of CRP. This was a retrospective cohort study of infants admitted to 2 neonatal intensive care units. CRP was used routinely in early-onset sepsis evaluations during 2009-2014; this period was used to determine CRP performance at a cut-off of ≥10mg/L in diagnosis of culture-confirmed early-onset sepsis. Routine CRP use was discontinued during 2018-2020; outcomes among infants admitted during this period were compared with those in 2012-2014. From 2009 to 2014, 10 134 infants were admitted; 9103 (89.8%) had CRP and 7549 (74.5%) had blood culture obtained within 3days of birth. CRP obtained ±4hours from blood culture had a sensitivity of 41.7%, specificity 89.9%, and positive likelihood ratio 4.12 in diagnosis of early-onset sepsis. When obtained 24-72hours after blood culture, sensitivity of CRP increased (89.5%), but specificity (55.7%) and positive likelihood ratio (2.02) decreased. Comparing the periods with (n=4977) and without (n=5135) routine use of CRP, we observed lower rates of early-onset sepsis evaluation (74.5% vs 50.5%), antibiotic initiation (65.0% vs 50.8%), and antibiotic prolongation in the absence of early-onset sepsis (17.3% vs 7.2%) in the later period. Rate and timing of early-onset sepsis detection, transfer to a greater level of care, and in-hospital mortality were not different between periods. CRP diagnostic performance was not sufficient to guide decision-making in early-onset sepsis. Discontinuation of routine CRP use was not associated with differences in patient outcomes despite lower rates of antibiotic administration.

565. Pilot Study of Prolonged Post-Discontinuation Antibiotic Exposure (PDAE) to Ampicillin Among Low Birthweight Preterm Infants

Abstract Background In the United States, 75% of preterm infants receive ampicillin after birth for evaluation of early onset sepsis. Excess antibiotic exposure in preterm infants is associated with morbidity and mortality. Pharmacokinetic (PK) simulations suggest that very low birthweight (&amp;lt; 1500g) infants receiving ampicillin may experience excess and prolonged therapeutic exposures to ampicillin after drug discontinuation, called post-discontinuation antibiotic exposures (PDAE). It is unknown if low birthweight ( &amp;gt; 1500g to &amp;lt; 2500g) infants that receive ampicillin experience prolonged PDAE. Methods We conducted a pilot prospective PK clinical trial at a single tertiary care center. We enrolled infants with gestational age (GA) &amp;lt; 36 weeks and birthweight (BW) &amp;gt; 1500g and &amp;lt; 2500g who received ampicillin 200 mg/kg/day per standard of care. All infants received 6 ampicillin 66mg/kg doses administered Q8H within 24 hours following birth. Post-discontinuation PK samples were collected between 8-120 hours after the last dose of ampicillin. We performed descriptive statistics on patient characteristics, and graphically displayed ampicillin plasma concentrations following discontinuation. We defined therapeutic exposures as concentrations above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for Group B Streptococcus (0.25mcg/mL). Results We analyzed 20 PK samples from 12 infants with median (IQR) GA of 32 weeks (31, 34) and BW of 1838g (1730, 2060). See Table 1 for clinical characteristics. All infants (N=8) with post-discontinuation samples collected within 48 hours of last dose had continued therapeutic ampicillin exposures, only 25% of infants had continued therapeutic exposures between 48 and 72 hours post last dose (N=4), and none had therapeutic ampicillin exposures beyond 72 hours post-dose (Figure 1). Samples (n=5) within 24 hours of last dose had median (IQR) ampicillin concentration of 13.2mcg/mL (9.2, 18.7); those within 25-48 hours (n=3) had median concentration of 0.9 mcg/mL (0.6, 2.2). TABLE 1.Enrolled Patient Characteristics and Plasma Ampicillin ConcentrationsFigure 1.Ampicillin Post-Discontinuation Antibiotic Exposures in Low Birthweight Infants (1500g-2500g)MIC = minimum inhibitory concentration. GBS = Group B Streptococcus. Each individual symbol represents one sample collected. MICs based on European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) breakpoints (8 for E. coli, 0.25mcg/mL for Group B Streptococcus). Conclusion In this small cohort of premature infants, exposures of ampicillin remained therapeutic for at least 24 hours post drug discontinuation and suggests that shorter duration of empirical ampicillin treatments may be warranted in this population. Disclosures Daniel Benjamin, Jr., MD PhD MPH, Allergan: Advisor/Consultant|Melinta Therapuetics: Advisor/Consultant|Syneos Health: Advisor/Consultant Rachel Greenberg, MD, MB, MHS, Provepharm Inc: Advisor/Consultant|Tellus Therapeutics: Advisor/Consultant.

2151. Time to Positivity in Blood Cultures at a Free-Standing Level IV NICU

Abstract Background In the Neonatal Intensive Care setting, subtle clinical deterioration of the infant combined with the lack of specificity in clinical signs to identify true infection often triggers an evaluation for sepsis. Blood cultures are obtained, and empiric antibiotics are initiated. Limiting the duration of antibiotic exposure has potential benefits in curtailing antimicrobial resistance and reducing unwanted adverse effects. We aimed to determine the time to positivity (TTP) of blood cultures in a level IV NICU over a 6-year period, with the goal to reassess our antimicrobial practice. Methods Data were extracted from the Children’s Hospital Colorado data warehouse for all neonates admitted to the NICU with a positive blood culture between Jan 2013 to Dec 2018. These patient’s charts were reviewed for both microbiologic and clinical data. TTP was calculated based on date and time culture was collected, compared to the date and time growth was first reported. Micro-organisms were categorized into absolute pathogens, potential pathogens, common contaminants, yeast and other less frequently identified organisms. Results A total of 309 positive blood cultures were identified from 268 neonates. The mean gestational age was 34.7 weeks with an average birthweight of 2353g. Overall TTP median and interquartile range (IQR) was 21.1 (14.4 ,25.4) hours. The median (IQR) TTP for gram-positive absolute pathogens and gram-negative absolute pathogens were 16.3 (13.0, 22.4) and 12.6 (11.3, 14.4) hours, respectively. Of the 309 positive culture results, 295 (95%) had been initiated with antibiotics; 110 (37%) were later deemed as contaminant, and treatment discontinued. Central line associated bacterial infection was documented in 35 cases (11%). Death within 4 weeks of culture positivity was recorded in 25 (9.5%) cases. Conclusion The majority of gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens were identified within 24h of blood culture collection. A substantial number of cases were later categorized as contaminants, highlighting the importance of correct sterile technique when obtaining cultures. These findings highlight opportunities for antimicrobial stewardship to limit antibiotic exposure in the NICU. The high mortality within 4 weeks of blood culture positivity warrants further study. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Biomarkers estimating baseline mortality risk for neonatal sepsis: nPERSEVERE: neonate-specific sepsis biomarker risk model.

Prognostic biomarker research neonatal sepsis is lacking. We assessed the utility of a validated pediatric prognostic tool called PERSEVERE II that uses decision tree methodology to predict mortality at discharge in neonates who experienced sepsis. Prospective study in a dual-center cohort of neonates with sepsis admitted between June 2020 and December 2021. Biomarker analysis was done on serum samples obtained at the time of evaluation for the event. In a cohort of 59 neonates with a mortality rate of 15.3%, PERSEVERE II was 67% sensitive and 59% specific for mortality, p 0.27. Amongst PERSEVERE II biomarkers, IL-8 showed good prognostic performance for mortality prediction with a cutoff of 300 pg/mL (sensitivity 100%, specificity 65%, negative predictive value 100%, AUC 0.87, p 0.0003). We derived a new decision tree that is neonate specific (nPERSEVERE) with improved performance compared to IL-8 (sensitivity 100%, specificity 86%, negative predictive value 100%, AUC 0.95, p < 0.0001). IL-8 and nPERSEVERE demonstrated good prognostic performance in a small cohort of neonates with sepsis. Moving toward precision medicine in sepsis, our study proposes an important tool for clinical trial prognostic enrichment that needs to be validated in larger studies. Prognostic and predictive biomarker research is lacking in the newborn intensive care unit. Biomarkers can be used at the time of evaluation for neonatal sepsis (blood culture acquisition) to identify neonates with high baseline mortality risk. Stratification is an important step toward precision medicine in neonatal sepsis.

Serious infections are rare in well-appearing neonates with hypothermia identified incidentally at routine visits

ObjectivesIt is not established whether diagnostic testing and antimicrobial treatment are warranted in well-appearing neonates without other signs or symptoms who have hypothermia identified incidentally at a routine visit with their primary care provider. MethodsThis was a retrospective observational study of well-appearing neonates who were noted at a routine visit to be hypothermic (<97.7°F or <36.5°C) and referred to a pediatric emergency department over an 8.5-year period. Excluded were those transferred from an outside hospital and those with signs of illness, including apnea, bradycardia, fever, hypoglycemia, ill appearance, lethargy, poor feeding, respiratory distress, tachycardia, or vomiting. Patient characteristics, laboratory results, antimicrobial treatment, and clinical outcomes were recorded. ResultsAmong a final cohort of 212 neonates with incidental hypothermia, no urine (n = 195) or blood (n = 198) culture grew a bacterial pathogen. No CSF culture (n = 168) grew a bacterial pathogen and no CSF PCR test (n = 142) was positive for herpes simplex virus. Contaminants were isolated in 3 urine and 3 blood cultures. ConclusionWell-appearing neonates with incidentally noted hypothermia at a routine visit are at low risk for serious infection and may not warrant a full sepsis evaluation.

Incidence of and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes After Late-Onset Meningitis Among Children Born Extremely Preterm

Late-onset meningitis (LOM) has been associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children born extremely preterm. To report the incidence of LOM during birth hospitalization and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 to 26 months' corrected age. This cohort study is a secondary analysis of a multicenter prospective cohort of children born at 22 to 26 weeks' gestation between 2003 and 2017 with follow-up from 2004 to 2021. The study was conducted at 25 Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network centers. Culture-confirmed LOM. Incidence and microbiology of LOM (2003-2017); lumbar puncture (LP) performance in late-onset sepsis (LOS) evaluations (2011-2017); composite outcome of death or neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI; 2004-2021). Among 13 372 infants (median [IQR] gestational age, 25.4 [24.4-26.1] weeks; 6864 [51%] boys), LOM was diagnosed in 167 (1%); LOS without LOM in 4564 (34%); and neither LOS nor LOM in 8641 (65%). The observed incidence of LOM decreased from 2% (95% CI, 1%-3%) in 2003 to 0.4% (95% CI, 0.7%-1.0%) in 2017 (P < .001). LP performance in LOS evaluations decreased from 36% (95% CI, 33%-40%) in 2011 to 24% (95% CI, 21%-27%) in 2017 (P < .001). Among infants with culture-confirmed LOS, LP performance decreased from 58% (95% CI, 51%-65%) to 45% (95% CI, 38%-51%; P = .008). LP performance varied by center among all LOS evaluations (10%-59%, P < .001) and among those with culture-confirmed LOS (23%-79%, P < .001). LOM occurred in the absence of concurrent LOS in 27 of 167 cases (16%). The most common LOM isolates were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (98 [59%]), Candida albicans (38 [23%]), and Escherichia coli (27 [16%]). Death or NDI occurred in 22 of 46 children (48%) with LOM due to coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, 43 of 67 (64%) due to all other bacterial pathogens, and 26 of 33 (79%) due to fungal pathogens. The adjusted relative risk of death or NDI was increased among children with LOM (aOR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.04-2.25) and among those with LOS without LOM (aOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.29-1.54) compared with children with neither infection. In this cohort study, LP was performed with decreasing frequency, and the observed incidence of LOM also decreased. Both LOM and LOS were associated with increased risk of death or NDI; risk varied by LOM pathogen. The full association of LOM with outcomes of children born extremely preterm may be underestimated by current diagnostic practices.

Adequacy of Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Decreasing Morbidity in Ventilated Neonates

Early-onset pneumonia is part of generalized sepsis that first manifests at or within hours of birth. Late-onset pneumonia usually occurs after 7 days of age, most commonly in neonatal intensive care units among infants who require prolonged endotracheal intubation because of lung disease. Diagnosis is by clinical and laboratory evaluation for sepsis. Treatment is initial broad-spectrum antibiotics changed to organism-specific drugs as soon as possible. Surveillance studies of nosocomial infections in NICU patients indicate that pneumonia comprises 6.8 to 32.3% of nosocomial infections in this setting. Aim: To establish the incidence, aetiology, risk factors, and outcomes associated with pneumonia using BAL sampling technique in neonates. Material and methods: A cross sectional study carried out at neonatal intensive care unit in a tertiary health care centre in Solapur, thus 28 neonates admitted in NICU and requiring mechanical ventilation were studied for period of 2 years. Bronchoalveolar lavage samples were collected using flexible bronchoscope with two sterile mucus extractor. Isolation of &gt;103 colony-forming unit/mL was required for diagnosis. Results: 79% of neonates had culture positive growth and 21% had culture negative growth Most common pathogen isolated was E coli 25%. The organisms isolated were found to have different sensitivity pattern on the culture report and the patients were treated accordingly. Enlisted here are few of the antibiotics which were found to be sensitive. Conclusion: It’s unique and very effective way to isolate the organism causing respiratory pathology and provide antimicrobial therapy according to susceptibility pattern rather than giving broad spectrum antibiotics for a longer duration and time and increasing incidence for drug resistance.

Use of an electronic medical record to optimize a neonatal sepsis score for mortality prediction.

Late-onset sepsis (LOS) is a significant cause of mortality in preterm infants. The neonatal sequential organ failure assessment (nSOFA) provides an objective assessment of sepsis risk but requires manual calculation. We developed an EMR pipeline to automate nSOFA calculation for more granular analysis of score performance and to identify optimal alerting thresholds. Infants born <33 weeks of gestation with LOS were included. A SQL-based pipeline calculated hourly nSOFA scores 48 h before/after sepsis evaluation. Sensitivity analysis identified the optimal timing and threshold of nSOFA for LOS mortality. Eighty episodes of LOS were identified (67 survivors, 13 non-survivor). Non-survivors had persistently elevated nSOFA scores, markedly increasing 12 h prior to culture. At sepsis evaluation, the AUC for nSOFA >2 was 0.744 (p = 0.0047); thresholds of >3 and >4 produced lower AUCs. nSOFA is persistently elevated for infants with LOS mortality compared to survivors with an optimal alert threshold >2.

The Effect of a Single Dose of Prophylactic Vancomycin Prior to Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Removal on Sepsis.

To evaluate the effect of a single dose of prophylactic vancomycin prior to the removal of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) in decreasing sepsis evaluations, positive cultures, and antibiotic usage in neonates. A retrospective review was conducted from December 1, 2015, through November 30, 2019, to evaluate outcomes of sepsis evaluations, positive cultures, and antibiotic usage in neonates not receiving prophylactic vancomycin prior to the discontinuation of a PICC as compared with those receiving prophylaxis vancomycin in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Of the 138 neonates enrolled in the study, 82 did not receive vancomycin prophylaxis (Cohort 1), and 56 did (Cohort 2). Both cohorts were similar in sex distribution, gestational age, and PICC days. The frequency of sepsis evaluations, positive cultures, and the need for antibiotics was not found to be significant (p = 0.404, 0.703, 0.808) (Table 2).CONCLUSIONS The results did not show a statistically significant improvement in the incidence of sepsis in neonates who received prophylactic vancomycin prior to PICC discontinuation. However, there were lower percentages of sepsis evaluations, positive cultures, and antibiotics administered in the Cohort 2 patients. Although the advantage of implementing this antibiotic policy is uncertain based on this study, further research across multiple centers including a larger number of subjects may provide more conclusive results.

Obstetric Sepsis: A Review Article.

The World Health Organization defines obstetric (maternal) sepsis as organ failure caused by infection during pregnancy, childbirth, post-abortion or postpartum period. It is the third most prevalent reason for maternal death. According to statistics, sepsis caused 11 percent of maternal fatalities worldwide. Physiological changes related to pregnancy may imitate the start of sepsis, which makes definitive diagnosis difficult. The definition of sepsis is gradually amended over decades. Various diagnostic tools and criteria are available. Prevention, early diagnosis, and appropriate management can reduce sepsis related maternal mortalities and morbidities. To reduce unnecessary maternal mortality, future policy development in the area of evaluation and care of obstetric sepsis is essential.

Metapneumovirus Infections are Uncommon in Infants Younger than 60 Days of Age Admitted for Sepsis Evaluation.

The epidemiology and clinical manifestations of human metapneumovirus are not well studied in infants younger than 60 days of age. In this retrospective review of infants admitted for sepsis evaluation, we identified HMPV less frequently than other viral etiologies via nasopharyngeal multiplex polymerase chain reaction testing; in only 16 (1.9%) infants. Two infants had apneic episodes, but none had wheezing.