Table III.
Characteristics of the 100 infants who had a sepsis evaluation, antibiotic therapy initiated, and a respiratory viral PCR test performed in the NICU
| Respiratory virus detection |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | P value | |
| No. of infants | 8 (8%) | 92 (92%) | - |
| GA, wk, median (IQR) | 28 (26-33) | 30 (27-36) | .15 |
| Birth weight, g median (IQR) | 1025 (795-1240) | 1424 (918-2388) | .06 |
| Age at sepsis evaluation, d median (IQR) | 41 (26-57) | 11 (7-22) | .007 |
| Weight at sepsis evaluation, g median (IQR) | 2143 (1503-2619) | 1671 (1055-2729) | .4 |
| Exposure to individuals with respiratory viral symptoms | 3 (37%)∗ | 2 (2%)† | .003 |
| T instability | |||
| Hypothermia (T ≤36°C) | 2 (25%) | 14 (15%) | .6 |
| Fever (T ≥38°C) | 1 (12%) | 6 (6%) | .4 |
| Apnea | 6 (75%) | 42 (46%) | .14 |
| Respiratory signs | |||
| Any | 7 (87%) | 79 (86%) | 1 |
| Tachypnea | 6 (75%) | 71 (72%) | 1 |
| Retractions | 6 (75%) | 51 (55%) | .5 |
| Rhinorrhea | 2 (25%) | 1 (1%) | .02 |
| Congestion | 2 (25%) | 1 (1%) | .02 |
| Cough | 1 (12%) | 2 (2%) | .2 |
| Increased or need for oxygen | 7 (87%) | 57 (62%) | .2 |
| Maximum respiratory support | 7 (87%) | 60 (64%) | .2 |
| Nasal cannula | 4 (57%) | 15 (25%) | .1 |
| CPAP | 0 | 22 (37%) | .08 |
| Mechanical ventilation | 3 (43%) | 23 (37%) | 1 |
| Duration, d, mean (±SD) | 3.7 (±3) | 6.9 (±6.5) | .4 |
| Gastrointestinal signs | |||
| Any | 4 (50%) | 41 (43%) | 1 |
| Feeding intolerance | 2 (25%) | 31 (37%) | 1 |
| Emesis | 1 (12%) | 21 (23%) | .7 |
| Diarrhea | 0 | 1 (1%) | 1 |
| Abdominal distension | 0 | 29 (31%) | .1 |
| Hematochezia | 2 (25%) | 8 (9%) | .2 |
| Hypotension | 0 | 10 (11%) | 1 |
| Fluid bolus (saline; intravenous) | 0 | 10 (11%) | 1 |
| Inotropic agents | 0 | 5 (5%) | 1 |
| Neurologic signs | |||
| Any | 0 | 18 (20%) | .2 |
| Lethargy | 0 | 10 (11%) | 1 |
| Hypotonia | 0 | 9 (10%) | 1 |
| Irritability | 0 | 4 (4%) | 1 |
| Hematologic values | |||
| White cell blood count, cells/mL, median (IQR) | 9785 (5600-12 250) | 11 535 (8740-16 288) | .19 |
| Absolute total neutrophils, cells/mL, median (IQR)‡ | 1790 (1232-4418) | 4530 (2850-7871) | .02 |
| Lymphocytes, cells/mL, median (IQR)‡ | 5124 (3304-5412) | 4120 (2665-5715) | .5 |
| Platelets, no./mL, median (IQR) | 265 000 (117 250-389 250) | 265 000 (145 000-363 000)§ | .9 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dL, median (IQR) | 10.3 (9.4-12.8) | 11.8 (10.1-13.7) | .3 |
| Hematocrit, %, median (IQR) | 30 (28-37) | 35 (30-41) | .3 |
| Bacterial coinfection | |||
| Urine culture positive | 1/7 (14%)¶ | 9/71 (13%)‖ | 1 |
| Blood culture positive | 0 | 15 (16%)∗∗ | .6 |
| Duration of hospitalization, d, mean (±SD) | 84 (±48) | 68 (±43) | .3 |
| Bronchopulmonary dysplasia | |||
| Any | 3 (37%) | 25 (27%) | .7 |
| Mild | 1 (33%) | 9 (36%) | 1 |
| Moderate | 0 | 2 (8%) | 1 |
| Severe | 2 (67%) | 14 (56%) | 1 |
| No. of infants who had respiratory viral testing performed by provider | 6 (75%) | 10 (11%)†† | .001 |
| Antibiotic duration, d median (IQR) | 6.5 (2.2-7.7) | 3 (2-7) | .3 |
| Death | 0 | 4 (4%) | 1 |
CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure; T, temperature.
Significant P values (< .05) are represented in bold.
Contacts were parents, grandparents, and nurse.
Contacts were mother and siblings.
Performed on 7 and 91 infants with and without viral detection, respectively.
Performed on 91 infants without viral detection.
1, coagulase-negative staphylococcus (3 × 104 colonies/mL) by suprapubic aspiration.
3, Enterococcus faecalis (>2 × 104 colonies/mL by catheterization); 1, Enterobacter cloacae (>104 colonies/mL) by catheterization; 1, Klebsiella pneumoniae (104 colonies/mL) by catheterization; 1, coagulase-negative staphylococcus (3 × 104 colonies/mL) by suprapubic aspiration; 1, Escherichia coli (105 colonies/mL) by suprapubic aspiration; 1, K pneumoniae (8 × 103 colonies/mL) and E faecalis (6 × 103 colonies/mL) by suprapubic aspiration; 1, Enterococcus sp. and Klebsiella oxytoca (collection method and colony counts not known).
2, K oxytoca; 3, K pneumoniae; 6, coagulase-negative staphylococci; 1, Enterobacter aerogenes; 1, E coli; 1, E faecalis; 1, group B Streptococcus.
All 10 infants had negative respiratory viral testing results at birth hospital.