DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2021.v09i03.032

Pages: 452-461

Background: Neonatal sepsis contributed to approximately 30 to 40% of neonatal deaths in the low-income countries. Maternofetal bacterial infection is one of the most common causes of neonatal sepsis. The most common risk factor is PROM occurs in 3% of pregnancies. Other risk factors include chorioamnionitis, untreated UTI etc. Many approaches are described to identify sepsis in newborns with initial risk of infection. Previously many studies have been performed by measuring inflammatory markers of sepsis in venous blood usually 12-24 hours after birth predicting severe infections in neonates. Very few studies aimed at testing of these parameters of CBC, I/T ratio, CRP & Blood culture in newborns with PROM and other risk of infection by sampling umbilical cord blood at birth in predicting early onset neonatal sepsis. This study was designed to see the usefulness of screening test to identify early onset neonatal sepsis measured in umbilical cord blood among those at risk of infection. Objectives: To see and compare the routine laboratory values of CBC, I/T ratio, CRP and blood culture yields in umbilical cord blood as well in the venous blood among those at risk of infection and to see the association between the risk factors of early onset neonatal sepsis with the values of routine laboratory parameters measured in umbilical cord blood. Methods: A prospective study was done in labor ward, post-natal ward and NICU, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University from October 2010 to September 2011.Total 147 newborns were enrolled in two group – 76 infants in case group having at risk of infection and the remaining 71 newborns were control group with similar demographic features having not at risk of infection. The Septic newborns were categorized again into 3 (Three) groups – proven sepsis, probable sepsis and no sepsis based on clinical features observed in the first 72 hours and laboratory values of umbilical cord blood at birth and neonatal blood at 24 hours of .....