Clinical signs and CRP values associated with blood culture results in neonates evaluated for suspected sepsis.

Aim: To identify which clinical signs at presentation are most predictive of sepsis subsequently confirmed by blood culture and to investigate whether the predictive power of the clinical signs varies by gestational age.

Methods: Among 401 newborn infants < 28 days of age with suspected sepsis, nine signs of sepsis and C-reactive protein (CRP) values were prospectively recorded. Logistic regression assessed the association of these signs and laboratory values with a subsequently confirmed diagnosis of sepsis by positive blood culture. The analysis was stratified by gestational age with mutual simultaneous adjustment for the signs and sex.

Results: Five of the nine clinical signs (feeding intolerance, distended abdomen, blood pressure, bradycardia and apnoea), along with CRP were statistically significantly associated with a positive blood culture. After simultaneous adjustment for all of the signs, apnoea, hypotension and CRP were independently predictive of positive blood culture. When the material was stratified by gestational age, differences in the association with positive blood culture were found for bradycardia, tachypnea and irritability/seizures.

Conclusion: In this selected population of infants with suspected sepsis, apnoea and hypotension are independently predictive of a confirmed diagnosis, while bradycardia is more predictive among preterm infants and tachypnea among term infants.