Sepsis Risk Calculator-Guided Antibiotic Management In Neonates With Suspected Early-Onset Sepsis

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of a sepsis risk calculator in guiding antibiotics use for neonates with suspected early-onset sepsis(EOS).Methods: A total of 284 neonates,with gestational age ≥35 weeks,suspected of EOS were enrolled into the control group,and the use of antibiotics was analyzed retrospectively.An analogous study group(n=170)was conducted prospectively,and EOS risk calculator was used to stratify their risk and assist clinical antibiotic management decisions.The antibiotic use,blood culture test,clinical outcome and adherence to the calculator of the two groups were compared.Results: The rates of antibiotic use and blood culture tests of the study group were significantly lower than those of the control group,84.7% vs91.5% and 85.3% vs 91.9%,respectively(P < 0.05).No evidence for changes in clinical outcomes,or proven sepsis rates was found(P>0.05).Conclusions: Implementation of the sepsis calculator yields a reduction of empirical use of antibiotics and blood culture tests for suspected EOS,with no signs of increased risk of adverse outcomes or treatment delay of such cases.