All issues > Volume 33(11); 1990

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1990;33(11):1489-1494. Published online November 30, 1990.

Clinical Obervation in 40 Cases with Neonatal Sepsis.

Jung Hee Lee¹, Jae Jin Park¹, In Kyung Sung¹, Byung Churl Lee¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Catholic University Medical College, Seoul, Korea

Received: June 22, 1990;  Accepted: August 30, 1990.

Abstract

Sepsis is still one of major causes of mortality and morbidity in neonatal period and early diagnosis and appropriate treatment for neonatal sepsis is difficult due to its vague clinical manifestation and rapid progress. An analysis of 40 cases of neonatal sepsis confirmed by clinical manifestation and blood cultures from Jan. 1986 to Dec. 1989 at nursery of St. Mary’s Hospital of Catholic University Medical College was made. The results were as follows: 1) The incidence of neonatal sepsis was 0.71% and male to female sex ratio was 1.1:1. Sepsis was more prevalent in premature infants (3.11%) than in full term infants (0.53%). 2) Clinical manifestations observed in neonatal sepsis were jaundice (62.5%), digestive symptoms (42.5%), respiratory symptoms (37.5%), body temperature instability (32.5%), feeding intolerance (30. 0%) and lethargy (30.0%). 3) Pneumonia (40.0%) was the most frequently associated disorder in neonatal sepsis. 4) Gram negative organisms (61.4%) were more prevalent than gram positive organisms (38.6%) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (20.0%) and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus (20.0%) were the leading causative organisms in neonatal sepsis. 5) Gram positive organisms were sensitive to vancomycin (100%), ofloxacin (100%), clindamycin (92.9%) and chloramphenicol (87.5%). Gram negative organisms were sensitive to ofloxacin (100%), ceftriaxone (94.4%), moxalactam (85.7%) and amikacin (76.6%). 6) The mortality rate in neonatal sepsis was 27.5% and gram negative sepsis (31.8%) had the higher mortality rate than gram positive sepsis (21.4%).

Keywords :Sepsis, Neonate