Neonatal early-onset infections: Comparing the sensitivity of the neonatal early-onset sepsis calculator to the Dutch and the updated NICE guidelines in an observational cohort of culture-positive cases.

Summary

This Dutch nationwide prospective cohort study compared the sensitivity of the Kaiser early-onset sepsis calculator with the Dutch and updated NICE guidelines in newborns of 34 weeks' gestation or more with culture-positive GBS or E. coli sepsis or meningitis within the first three days. The calculator would have recommended antibiotics in fewer cases at four hours after birth than either guideline. It relies more on clinical signs, reducing overtreatment of well babies but delaying antibiotics for initially well-appearing infected infants. The findings inform choice of early-onset sepsis risk assessment strategies in late preterm and term newborns.

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