title: Predictive clinical scores for diagnosis of late onset neonatal septicemia.
abstract: There is a paucity of data regarding predictive values and likelihood ratios of clinical signs for the diagnosis of late onset neonatal septicemia. This study aimed to determine these parameters in a prospective fashion, deriving a score by combining the most useful signs and determining the diagnostic utility of the score. All neonates admitted to a neonatal unit over a 1-year period were monitored for the occurrence of 16 pre-defined clinical signs. Symptomatic episodes (105 episodes in 80 neonates) were investigated for sepsis, and diagnosed as definite sepsis (n = 30), most probable sepsis (n = 17), and no sepsis (n = 58). Seven clinical signs (grunting, abdominal distension, increased pre-feed aspirates, tachycardia, hyperthermia, chest retractions, and lethargy) had positive likelihood ratios (PLR) greater than 1, and were combined to make a composite score. When a weighted clinical score (WCS) was used to diagnose definite sepsis, a cut-off score of 2 gave the best positive predictive value (PPV) and PLR (52 per cent and 2.65, respectively), and a cut-off score of 1 gave the best negative predictive value (NPV) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) (85 per cent and 0.44, respectively). A cut-off score of 2 had a PPV of 65 per cent for definite and/or probable sepsis. In conclusion, physicians who attempt to make a diagnosis of neonatal sepsis on purely clinical grounds can use a seven-item weighted clinical score.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: S Amuchou
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Sourabh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Narang
mesh_terms: D001049:Apnea / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000209:etiology; D007194:India; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology; D018805:Sepsis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*