Table 3.

Age at presentation of symptoms, NSC score and antibiotics.

	Late preterm neonates (n = 178)	Full term neonates (n = 3,267)	p	All (n = 3,445)
Neonates with symptoms	53 (29.78)	211 (6.46)	<0.0001	264 (7.66)
Neonates with symptoms already at birth	46 (86.79)	134 (63.51)		180 (68.18)
Neonates with symptoms from 1 to 6 h of life	5 (9.43)	44 (20.85)	0.0044	49 (18.56)
Neonates with symptoms after 6 h of life	2 (3.77)	33 (15.64)		35 (13.26)
Serial clinical observation	56 (31.46)	301 (9.21)	<0.0001	357 (10.4)
Evaluation to rule out sepsis †	33 (18.54)	104 (3.18)	<0.0001	137 (3.98)
NSC score <0.5	117 (70.06)	3,146 (96.30)	<0.0001	3,263 (94.72)
NSC score > 0.51 <1	11 (6.59)	46 (1.41)	<0.0001	57 (1.65)
NSC score > 1.01 <3	16 (9.58)	46 (1.41)	<0.0001	62 (1.80)
NSC score > 3.01	23 (13.77)	29 (0.89)	<0.0001	52 (1.51)
Neonates given antibiotics ¶	15 (8.43)	49 (1.49)	<0.0001	64 (1.86)
Median days on antibiotics	2 (2–2)	3 (2–3)	0.0637	2 (2–3)
Symptomatic neonates admitted to NICU §	35 (19.66)	73 (2.23)	<0.0001	108 (3.13)
Symptomatic neonates admitted to intermediate care unit §	17 (9.55%)	62 (1.90%)	<0.0001	79 (2.30%)
Symptomatic neonates unadmitted to NICU or intermediate care unit ¥	1 (0.06 %)	76 (2.33%)	0.1209	77 (2.24%)

NICU, neonatal intensive care unit; NSC, neonatal sepsis calculator.

^† Including white blood cell count, blood culture, and C-reactive protein.

^¶ Among 64 neonates receiving antibiotics, 14 underwent therapeutic hypothermia and 6 had surgical prophylaxis.

^§ Antibiotics were given to 55 out of 108 symptomatic neonates admitted to NICU and 9 out of 79 admitted to intermediate care unit; “rule out sepsis” was performed in all symptomatic neonates admitted to NICU.

^¥ “Rooming in” was allowed within a few hours of birth to all 77 neonates and they were discharged home with a “healthy newborn” code.

Data are presented as median (IQR) or n (%).