Acta Paediatr. 2021 Jun 6. doi: 10.1111/apa.15969. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Very preterm infants (≤ 32 weeks gestational age; GA) are at high risk of developing late-onset sepsis (LOS; onset after 72 hours of age), which is associated with increased mortality and short- and long-term morbidity. The early symptoms of suspected LOS are non-specific and are managed with empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics, with well-documented adverse effects, including mortality. Microbial blood culture, with adjunctive diagnostic biomarker(s) (e.g. C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6), are commonly used for LOS diagnosis, but have sub-optimal sensitivity and specificity, and median time to positivity of 12 – 36 hours for blood culture.
PMID:34091943 | DOI:10.1111/apa.15969
