NEONATAL SEPSIS;

Objectives: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of C-reactive protein in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis keeping blood cultures as gold standard. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Setting: Pediatric Unit of Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar Pakistan. Duration: Six months from 09-06-2012 to 08-12-2012. Methodology: Total of 196 patients meeting the required inclusion criteria with clinical suspicion of sepsis. Those neonates were subjected to investigations. C.R.P. was tested using the Quantitative method according to the instructions provided with the kit. By keeping blood culture as gold standard, patients with both positive and negative cultures were taken and the results compared to the results of C.R.P. in these subjects being positive or negative. Results: Among the 196, majority of the neonates included were less than a week old having a mean age of 4.5 days. There were 57 (29%) females and 139 (71%) males, with male to female ratio of 2.4:1. Blood cultures were positive in 85 (43%) and negative in 111 (57%) cases, while C.R.P. was positive in 95 (48%) and negative in 101 (52%) cases. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and predictive values of C-reactive protein were calculated using formulas, and they turned out to be 77.6%, 73.8%, 69.4%, and 81.2% respectively with accuracy being 0.41%. Conclusion: An accurate and timely diagnosis of early onset neonatal sepsis remains challenging to the clinician as well as laboratory. Physicians can prevent unnecessary antibiotic use by performing the qualitative estimation CRP as a single, rapid and inexpensive test with a negative predictive value of 81.2%.