CLINICAL PREDICTORS OF MORTALITY IN NEONATAL SEPSIS: EXPERIENCE FROM A TERTIARY NEONATAL CARE UNIT
Keywords:
Neonatal sepsis, mortality predictors, risk factors, clinical outcomes, prematurity, low birth weight, neonatal intensive care.Abstract
Neonatal sepsis is a leading cause of mortality in newborns, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Identifying clinical predictors of mortality is essential for early risk stratification, timely intervention, and improved outcomes. This study evaluates the clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, and treatment factors associated with mortality in neonates with sepsis admitted to a tertiary neonatal care unit. Results indicate that prematurity, low birth weight, respiratory distress, hypotension, and multi-organ involvement are significant predictors of mortality. Early recognition of high-risk neonates and aggressive management strategies are crucial to reducing sepsis-related deaths in NICUs.
References
1. Shane A. L., Sánchez P. J., Stoll B. J. Neonatal sepsis. Lancet, 2017;390: 1770– 1780.
2. Polin R. A., Committee on Fetus and Newborn. Management of neonates with suspected or proven early-onset bacterial sepsis. Pediatrics, 2012;129(5): 1006– 1015.
3. Hornik C. P., Fort P., Clark R. H., et al. Early and late-onset sepsis in very-lowbirth-weight infants from a large group of neonatal intensive care units. Early Human Development, 2012;88(Suppl 2): S69–S74.
4. Stoll B. J., Hansen N. I., Sánchez P. J., et al. Early onset neonatal sepsis: the burden of Group B Streptococcal and E. coli disease continues. Pediatrics, 2011;127: 817–826.
5. Dong Y., Speer C. P. Late-onset neonatal sepsis: recent developments. Archives of Disease in Childhood Fetal and Neonatal Edition, 2015;100: F257–F263.
6. Bizzarro M. J., Raskind C., Baltimore R. S., et al. Seventy-five years of neonatal sepsis at Yale: 1928–2003. Pediatrics, 2005;116: 595–602.
7. Wynn J. L., Wong H. R. Pathophysiology and management of neonatal sepsis. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 2010;57(3): 487–505.
8. Cotten C. M. Adverse consequences of neonatal antibiotic exposure. Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 2016;28: 141–149.
9. Puopolo K. M., Lynfield R., Cummings J. Management of neonates at risk for early-onset sepsis. Pediatrics, 2018;142(6): e20182894.
10.Hofer N., Zacharias E., Müller W., et al. Risk factors for mortality in neonatal sepsis. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 2012;3: 52.
