Table 1.
Background and clinical characteristics of the study participants.
| ELGAN/ELBW (n = 97) | Sepsis within 14 days of life (n = 14) | No sepsis within 14 days of life (n = 83) | P a |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gestational age, weeks, mean (SD) | 24.9 (1.3) | 25.4 (1.2) | 0.168 |
| Birthweight, g, mean (SD) | 709 (124) | 723 (140) | 0.717 |
| Birthweight z‐score, mean (SD) | −0.73 (0.90) | −1.16 (1.32) | 0.241 |
| Small for gestational age (weight < 2 SD), n (%) | 1 (7%) | 22 (27%) | 0.176 |
| Male, n (%) | 7 (50%) | 46 (55%) | 0.776 |
| Apgar at 5 min, mean (SD) | 5.5 (2.2) | 6.5 (2.5) | 0.171 |
| Infants from multiple pregnancy, n (%) | 8 (57%) | 28 (34%) | 0.093 |
| Antenatal corticosteroids, n (%) | 13 (93%) | 82 (99%) | 0.269 |
| Caesarean section, n (%) | 7 (50%) | 54 (65%) | 0.280 |
| Maternal smoking, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 7 (8%) | 0.588 |
| Preeclampsia, n (%) | 1 (7%) | 9 (11%) | 1.00 |
| Chorioamnionitis, n (%) | 5 (36%) | 15 (18%) | 0.156 |
| Preterm premature rupture of membranes, n (%) | 5 (36%) | 25 (30%) | 0.756 |
| Maternal antibiotics, n (%) | 10 (71%) | 47 (56%) | 0.385 |
| Inclusion site, Stockholm/Linköping, n/n (%/%) | 13/1 (93%/7%) | 50/33 (60%/40%) | 0.017 |
| Antibiotics during first week, n (%) | 14 (100%) | 83 (99%) | 1.00 |
| Antibiotics during second week, n (%) | 14 (100%) | 69 (83%) | 0.209 |
| Days on antibiotics, mean (SD) | 36.4 (13.9) | 27.2 (14.4) | 0.028 |
| Betamethasone treatment, n (%) | 2 (14%) | 27 (33%) | 0.217 |
| Betamethasone treatment before day 14, n (%) | 1 (7%) | 5 (6%) | 1.00 |
| Betamethasone treatment before day 28, n (%) | 2 (14%) | 19 (23%) | 0.727 |
| Days on mechanical ventilation, mean (SD) | 21.7 (18.7) | 20.3 (17.1) | 0.785 |
| NEC, Bells stage II–III, n/N b (%) | 4/14 (29%) | 8/83 (10%) | 0.068 |
| Bronchopulmonary dysplasia, n/N b (%) | 7/13 (54%) | 52/80 (65%) | 0.537 |
| Intraventricular haemorrhage, grade 3–4, n/N b (%) | 3/14 (21%) | 8/82 (10%) | 0.199 |
| Retinopathy of prematurity, grade 3–5, n/N b (%) | 5/13 (38%) | 10/81 (12%) | 0.031 |
| Death before 360 days, n (%) | 1 (7%) | 3 (4%) | 0.469 |
a
The Student's t‐test was used to compare means and the chi‐square test was used to compare frequencies.
b
N is the number of infants that survived until diagnosis could be set.