Risk factors associated with neonatal sepsis in patients in minimum care, in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Background: Neonatal sepsis represents a major challenge for neonatal care services worldwide. Despite advances in diagnostic methods and antimicrobial therapy, more than 46% of deaths in children under five years of age occur in the neonatal period, and approximately 15% of these are attributed to sepsis. Objective: To characterize the risk factors associated with neonatal sepsis in newborns admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), in the Minimal Care Unit of the Honduran Social Security Institute, from January to June 2022. Patients and Methods: A quantitative, descriptive study was conducted. A total of 100 neonates diagnosed with neonatal sepsis admitted to the NICU minimal care area were included. Non-probability convenience sampling was used. Data were obtained through medical record review, and informed consent was obtained from parents and/or guardians. Results: Of the patients, 57% were between 1 and 24 hours of life at admission, 65.0% were male, 93.0% were of mestizo ethnicity, and 7% were of Black ethnicity. Regarding maternal characteristics, 83.0% were primigravida. A history of urinary tract infection during the third trimester was present in 70.0% of mothers, and 15.5% had a history of vaginal infections. Premature rupture of membranes was present in 7.8%, chorioamnionitis in 3.9%, intrapartum fever in 6.49%, and maternal respiratory infections in 10.0%. Fever was the predominant clinical sign of sepsis in all patients. Conclusions: Maternal age between 26–35 years, primiparity, and fewer than three prenatal care visits during pregnancy were identified as risk factors for neonatal sepsis with a statistically significant association.