Role of Sepsis Screen Tests in Predicting Neonatal Septicemia

Early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis continues to pose a problem to the clinician caring for newborns. Blood culture has been considered the gold standard for confirmation of diagnosis. An array of sepsis screen tests is now available for early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. To study the role of sepsis screen tests in early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. Blood cultures and sepsis screen tests were carried out on 200 neonates. The identification of the causative organism was carried out by standard identification tests. Sepsis screen was carried out with C‑reactive Protein, I/T ratio, Total leucocyte count, Absolute neutrophils count, Out of 200 neonates studied with clinical features of sepsis, 128 (64%) were blood culture positive. Among Sepsis screen tests, CRP was the most sensitive test (89.84%) with a specificity of 76.39%. I/T ratio, TLC and ANC showed sensitivity 76.56%, 44.53%, 32.81% and specificity 59.72%.76.39%, 81.94% respectively. Sepsis screen tests may help and can be used as an adjunct in the diagnosis. They are also useful in early detection of neonatal sepsis and can be used as prognostic indicators; thus helping to start early treatment with appropriate antibiotics.