Guide to a systematic physical assessment in the infant with suspected infection and/or sepsis.

This article provides the resources for the bedside caregiver to conduct a focused physical assessment of the infant with suspected sepsis. The importance of obtaining a complete history to identify associated obstetric and neonatal risk factors is emphasized. Further evaluation of the infant's clinical presentation for signs and symptoms suggestive of a systemic inflammatory response to infection is discussed, along with a step-by-step guide to a systematic physical assessment. Strategies to evaluate physical findings in context with the available diagnostic data to develop a differential diagnosis are provided. The international consensus definitions for the sepsis continuum are presented and are compared and contrasted to the definitions more commonly used in the neonatal population. The article provides tables that can serve as checklists to structure a thorough obstetric and neonatal history and to further evaluate the infant's systemic inflammatory response to infection.