Stable rates of neonatal sepsis in a tertiary neonatal unit

Abstract

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 evalu..