Late-onset Sepsis in Preterm Neonates is Associated with Higher Risks of Cerebellar Hemorrhage and Lower Motor Scores at Three Years of Age.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of late-onset sepsis (LOS) in preterm infants on brain injury and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 36 months corrected age (CA).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 203 preterm neonates of 24-32 weeks gestational age who were admitted between January and December 2017 at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a maternity hospital in Kuwait. The cases were stratified into no sepsis, early-onset sepsis (first onset of sepsis ≤ 72 hours postnatally), and LOS (> 72 hours postnatally).