Stable rates of neonatal sepsis in a tertiary neonatal unit.
AIMS
To describe the rate of early- and late-onset sepsis in neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at the Royal Women's Hospital and to compare the rate of late-onset sepsis (LOS) with a published (2008) cohort from the same unit. The secondary aim was to examine clinicians' compliance with antibiotic guidelines.


METHODS
Infants born <32 weeks' gestation or <1500 g admitted between 1 July 2011 and 31 December 2011 were included. Strict definitions of sepsis and compliance with antibiotic guidelines were applied.


RESULTS
One hundred and seventy-two infants met the inclusion criteria, with 152 having blood culture evaluations for early-onset sepsis (EOS) and 58 having 109 evaluations for LOS. Definite EOS occurred in 1.3% with Escherichia coli isolated. The rate of definite LOS in 2011 of 22% was not significantly different than the 27% in 2008, with coagulase-negative staphylococcus the main isolate. Antibiotic continuation beyond 72 h in infants with negative blood cultures was the main reason for non-compliance with antibiotic guidelines.


CONCLUSIONS
The rate of EOS is comparable with published reports and the rate of LOS has remained stable over a 3-year period. Discontinuation of antibiotics with negative septic markers and blood cultures at 48-72 h is encouraged.
['Lean|Wei Ling|WL|', 'Kamlin|Camille O|CO|', 'Garland|Suzanne M|SM|', 'Jacobs|Susan E|SE|']
D017668:Age of Onset D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents D001724:Birth Weight D042241:Early Diagnosis D004926:Escherichia coli D005260:Female D005865:Gestational Age D006801:Humans D007223:Infant D007231:Infant, Newborn D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal D008297:Male D055118:Medication Adherence D012307:Risk Factors D018805:Sepsis D013210:Staphylococcus
late-onset sepsis neonatal intensive care unit antibiotics infant early-onset sepsis preterm