Table 2. Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Infants Treated With Intravenous Antibiotics During the First Postnatal Weeka.
| Clinical characteristics | Neonates, No. (%) | OR or median difference (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All (n = 21 703) | Proven EOS (n = 375) | No proven EOS (n = 21 328) | ||
| Sex | ||||
| Femaleb | 8812 (40.6) | 161 (42.9) | 8651 (40.6) | 1.10 (0.90 to 1.35)c |
| Male | 12 886 (59.4) | 214 (57.1) | 12 672 (59.4) | 1 [Reference] |
| Gestational age, median (IQR), wk | 39 (36 to 40) | 39 (37 to 40) | 39 (36 to 40) | 0 (0 to 1)d |
| Birth weight, median (IQR), g | 3250 (2750 to 3750) | 3250 (2780 to 3785) | 3250 (2745 to 3750) | 110 (−15 to 230)d |
| Indication of antibioticse | ||||
| Suspected infection | 14 139 (88.9) | 216 (97.3) | 13 923 (88.8) | NA |
| Prophylaxis for urinary tract malformation | 185 (1.2) | 0 | 185 (1.2) | |
| Perioperative prophylaxis | 296 (1.9) | 0 | 296 (1.9) | |
| Other prophylaxis | 1289 (8.1) | 6 (2.7) | 1283 (8.2) | |
| Postnatal age at antibiotics start, median (IQR), d | 0 (0 to 1) | 1 (0 to 2) | 0 (0 to 1) | 0 (0 to 1)d |
| Duration of treatment, median (IQR), df | 4 (3 to 6) | 9 (7 to 14) | 4 (3 to 6) | 5 (4 to 6)d |
| Clinical signsg | ||||
| Present | 7951 (75.3) | 170 (89.9) | 7781 (75) | 3.73 (2.24 to 6.33)c |
| Unknown | 239 (2.3) | 1 (0.5) | 238 (2.3) | 0.39 (0.05 to 2.96)c |
| Absent | 2374 (22.5) | 18 (9.5) | 2356 (22.7) | 1 [Reference] |
| Deaths | 239 (1.1) | 12 (3.2) | 227 (1.1) | 2.81 (1.55 to 5.09)c,h |
| Postnatal age at death, median (IQR), de | 4 (1 to 9) | 4 (2 to 10) | 4 (1 to 9) | 0 (−2 to 2)d |
| Cause of deathe | ||||
| Respiratory and/or cardio-circulatory failure | 27 (17.2) | 7 (77.8) | 20 (14) | NA |
| Asphyxia | 43 (27.4) | 0 | 43 (29.1) | |
| Malformation | 81 (51.6) | 2 (22.2) | 79 (53.4) | |
| Other | 6 (3.8) | 0 | 6 (4.1) | |
| Death in relation to sepsise | ||||
| Directly related | 6 (3.8) | 6 (66.7) | 0 | NA |
| Indirectly related | 5 (3.2) | 3 (33.3) | 2 (1.4) | |
| Unrelated | 146 (93.0) | 0 | 146 (98.6) | |
Abbreviations: EOS, early-onset sepsis; NA, not applicable; OR, odds ratio.
Categorical variables are presented as frequencies (percentages), and continuous variables are presented as median (IQR). Column percentages are presented; percentages are based on available data for each variable.
Data are missing for 5 patients without proven EOS. OR is calculated using male neonates as reference.
Data are OR with 95% CI, stratified across networks.
Data are median difference with 95% CI, stratified across networks.
Data on 15 936 of 21 703 neonates (73.4%) treated with antibiotics are presented, including 222 of 375 neonates (59.2%) with proven EOS, and 15 687 of 21 328 neonates (73.6%) without proven EOS, because data were not available for Norway.
Data are missing for 2 patients without proven infection.
Data on 10 564 of 21 703 neonates (48.7%) treated with antibiotics are presented, including 189 of 375 neonates (50.4%) with proven EOS, and 10 375 of 21 328 neonates (48.6%) without proven EOS, because data were not available for Norway, Perth, and Hamilton.
Data are OR (95% CI) for proven EOS (vs no proven EOS), stratified across networks.