Table 4.
Characteristics of preterm infants EOI* and EOI**
| EOI* | EOI** | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n | 5 | 11 | |
| GA (weeks) | 28 (24–30) | 29 (24–30) | 0.910 |
| Birth weight (g) | 1060 (700–1390) | 1100 (590–1730) | 0.610 |
| IUGR | 0 | 1 (9 %) | 1 |
| ANCS | 3 (60 %)/a4 (80 %) | 3 (27 %)/a5 (55 %) | 0.580/a0.228 |
| Chorioamnionitis | 2 (40 %) | 6 (55 %) | 1 |
| PROM | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| C-section | 5 (100 %) | 10 (91 %) | 1 |
| CRIB | 2 (1–11) | 7 (1–17) | 0.351 |
| RDS | 5 (100 %) | 11 (100 %) | 1 |
| RDS ≥ grade III | 4 (80 %) | 6 (55 %) | 0.588 |
| IVH | 3 (60 %) | 4 (36 %) | 0.596 |
| BPD | 4 (80 %) | 6 (55 %) | 0.600 |
| Length of mechanical ventilation (days) | 7 (5–44) | 7 (3–23) | 0.597 |
| ROP | 2 (50 %) | 7 (78 %) | 0.596 |
| Length of hospital stay (days) | 74 (51–138) | 70 (10–124) | 0.844 |
| Blood culture positive | 1 (20 %) | 0 | 0.267 |
| ITmax | 0.2 (0.1–0.7)b | 0.4 (0.1–0.8)b | 0.733 |
| CRPmax (mg/dl) | 12.4 (7.7–24.3)b | 18.9 (7.1–52.3)b | 0.257 |
| White blood cell counts, mean (standard error) | |||
| LEU | 8.32 (0.97) | 6.21 (0.32) | 0.552 |
| segNEU | 3.37 (0.9) | 3.46 (0.59) | 0.759 |
| bandNEU | 4.02 (1.73) | 1.6 (0.26) | 0.475 |
| juvNEU | 0.43 (0.07) | 0.35 (0.06) | 0.594 |
| LYM | 3.32 (0.49) | 3.54 (0.24) | 1 |
| MON | 2.15 (0.77) | 0.52 (0.05) | 0.126 |
Data are given as median and range or percent of total in group. P values are calculated using Wilcoxon U test for quantitative parameters and Fisher’s exact test for qualitative parameters
EOI early onset infection, GA gestational age, IUGR intrauterine growth restriction, ANCS antenatal corticosteroids: complete course including two doses of betamethasone given >24 h prior to birth, last dose <7 days before birth, CRIB critical risk index for babies, RDS respiratory distress syndrome, IVH intraventricular hemorrhage, BPD bronchopulmonary dysplasia, ROP retinopathy of prematurity, LEU leucocytes, segNEU segmented neutrophils, bandNEU band neutrophils, juvNEU juvenile neutrophils, LYM lymphocytes, MON monocytes
aAny ANCS before birth
bValue below lower determination threshold (4 mg/dl) was set to be 4 mg/dl