Clinical and vital sign changes associated with late-onset sepsis in very low birth weight infants at 3 NICUs.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In premature infants, clinical changes frequently occur due to sepsis or non-infectious conditions, and distinguishing between these is challenging. Baseline risk factors, vital signs, and clinical signs guide decisions to culture and start antibiotics. We sought to compare heart rate (HR) and oxygenation (SpO2) patterns as well as baseline variables and clinical signs prompting sepsis work-ups ultimately determined to be late-onset sepsis (LOS) and sepsis ruled out (SRO).

Methods

At three NICUs, we reviewed records of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants around their first sepsis work-up diagnosed as LOS or SRO. Clinical signs prompting the evaluation were determined from clinician documentation. HR-SpO2 data, when available, were analyzed for mean, standard devi

SUBMITTER: Sullivan BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8316489 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature