Patient Education
What is Neonatal Sepsis?
Neonatal sepsis is a systemic condition of the neonate secondary to bacterial, viral, or fungal (yeast) origin that present with a wide range of clinical findings like lethargy, refusal of feeds, hypo or hyperthermia, seizures, bleeding, abdominal distension, jaundice, breathing difficulty, low blood pressure resulting in a significant number of deaths among the newborn
What are the risk factors for Sepsis?
Sepsis can occur within the first 3 days as well as beyond that period, the risk factors for sepsis in the earlier one are Low birth weight (<2500 grams) or prematurity, fever in the mother with bacterial infection within 2 weeks before delivery, foul-smelling and/or meconium stained liquor, rupture of membranes >24 hours, single unclean or >3 sterile vaginal examinations, prolonged labor (total duration of 1st and 2nd stage of labor >24 hrs) and Apgar score <4 at 1 minute, admission in the intensive care unit, mechanical ventilation, invasive procedures and administration of parenteral fluids to the newborn.
How is Sepsis diagnosed?
Definite diagnosis of sepsis is done by collecting the blood of the newborn and culturing it in a media, it takes 3-5 days to get the report of culture. Hence a high index of suspicion is required to suspect sepsis and various test like CRP, Procalcitonin, I/T ratio is also available to substantiate the initiation of antibiotics
What Is the Treatment for Sepsis?
Supportive measures like temperature maintenance, iv fluids to maintain normal glucose level, drugs to support the blood pressures are to be initiated as early as possible and antibiotics, antiviral or antifungal are started based on the suspected etiology. Bacterial is the commonest cause of neonatal sepsis followed by fungal and very rarely virus is a cause for sepsis among newborns.
How to prevent Sepsis?
Exclusive Breastfeeding, hand hygiene, decreasing the duration of central lines, probiotics, and avoiding stock solutions are some of the measures by which sepsis could be prevented.
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