Premium
The usefulness of serial C‐reactive protein measurement in managing neonatal infection
Author(s) -
Kawamura M,
Nishida H
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1995.tb13475.x
Subject(s) - c reactive protein , medicine , neonatal infection , antibiotics , antibiotic therapy , pediatrics , pregnancy , microbiology and biotechnology , inflammation , biology , genetics
Recent advances in laboratory technology have enabled us to measure C‐reactive protein with a higher sensitivity in a short period using a minimal amount of blood. Thus C‐reactive protein can be measured easily several times a day. In this study, serial changes in C‐reactive protein values were evaluated in 108 term and 240 preterm newborn infants with suspicion of infection, and the changing patterns of C‐reactive protein values were compared with clinical outcome. For a diagnosis of infection, the negative predictive values in term and preterm infants were 99.0% and 97.8%, respectively, although the sensitivities were 61.5% and 75.0%, respectively. Antibiotic therapy was started at birth and discontinued when the changing pattern of C‐reactive protein and clinical findings did not suggest infection. As a result, mean durations of administration of antibiotics in the term and preterm infants were 3 and 4 days, respectively. Recognition of the changing pattern of C‐reactive protein was very useful in excluding infection and minimizing unnecessary antibiotic therapy in managing neonatal infection.