Table 4.
Influence of CRP measurements on management of infants without EOS
| CRP high1 N = 1,934 | CRP low2 N = 5,476 | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | |||
| Sex (male) | 1,184 (61.2) | 2,981 (54.4) | <0.001 |
| Cesarean delivery | 890 (46.0) | 2,741 (50.1) | 0.002 |
| Gestational age, wk | 39 (36, 40) | 36 (33, 39) | <0.001 |
| Birth weight, g | 3250 (2550, 3640) | 2680 (1931, 3330) | <0.001 |
| Length of stay by gestational age, d | |||
| <37 wk | 38 (13, 69) | 17 (8, 37) | <0.001 |
| ≥37 wk | 4 (3, 7) | 3 (2, 4) | <0.001 |
| Management and outcomes in day 0–3 | |||
| CSF culture obtained | 636 (32.9) | 424 (7.7) | <0.001 |
| CSF culture positive for a pathogen | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| Antibiotics initiated | 1,884 (97.4) | 4,777 (87.2) | <0.001 |
| Antibiotics continued for >2 d | 821 (43.6) | 788 (16.5) | <0.001 |
| Antibiotics other than penicillin, ampicillin and gentamicin given | 125 (6.6) | 159 (3.3) | <0.001 |
| Vancomycin | 83 (66.4) | 130 (81.8) | 0.003 |
| Cephalosporins | 95 (76.0) | 101 (63.5) | 0.02 |
| Metronidazole | 8 (6.4) | 8 (5.0) | 0.62 |
| Management and outcomes in day 4–7 | |||
| Blood culture obtained | 62 (3.2) | 202 (3.7) | 0.33 |
| CSF culture obtained | 71 (3.7) | 83 (1.5) | <0.001 |
| Blood culture positive for a pathogen | 4 (0.2) | 24 (0.4) | 0.20 |
| CSF culture positive for a pathogen | 1 (0.1) | 0 | 0.26 |
Data presented as n (%) or median (Q1, Q3). All infants in the table had a blood culture obtained in days 0–3 which was not positive for a pathogen.
1
Includes infants who had at least one CRP value ≥10 mg/L in days 0–3.
2
Includes infants with all CRP values <10 mg/L in days 0–3.
Abbreviations – CRP, C-reactive protein; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; EOS, early-onset sepsis.