We have located links that may give you full text access.
Journal Article
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Interpreting complete blood counts soon after birth in newborns at risk for sepsis.
Pediatrics 2010 November
BACKGROUND: A complete blood count (CBC) with white blood cell differential is commonly ordered to evaluate newborns at risk for sepsis.
OBJECTIVES: To quantify how well components of the CBC predict sepsis in the first 72 hours after birth.
METHODS: For this retrospective cross-sectional study we identified 67 623 term and late-preterm (≥ 34 weeks gestation) newborns from 12 northern California Kaiser hospitals and 1 Boston, Massachusetts hospital who had a CBC and blood culture within 1 hour of each other at <72 hours of age. We compared CBC results among newborns whose blood cultures were and were not positive and quantified discrimination by using receiver operating characteristic curves and likelihood ratios.
RESULTS: Blood cultures of 245 infants (3.6 of 1000 tested newborns) were positive. Mean white blood cell (WBC) counts and mean absolute neutrophil counts (ANCs) were lower, and mean proportions of immature neutrophils were higher in newborns with infection; platelet counts did not differ. Discrimination improved with age in the first few hours, especially for WBC counts and ANCs (eg, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for WBC counts was 0.52 at <1 hour and 0.87 at ≥ 4 hours). Both WBC counts and ANCs were most informative when very low (eg, the likelihood ratio for ANC < 1000 was 115 at ≥ 4 hours). No test was very sensitive; the lowest likelihood ratio (for WBC count ≥ 20 000 at ≥ 4 hours) was 0.16.
CONCLUSION: Optimal interpretation of the CBC requires using interval likelihood ratios for the newborn's age in hours.
OBJECTIVES: To quantify how well components of the CBC predict sepsis in the first 72 hours after birth.
METHODS: For this retrospective cross-sectional study we identified 67 623 term and late-preterm (≥ 34 weeks gestation) newborns from 12 northern California Kaiser hospitals and 1 Boston, Massachusetts hospital who had a CBC and blood culture within 1 hour of each other at <72 hours of age. We compared CBC results among newborns whose blood cultures were and were not positive and quantified discrimination by using receiver operating characteristic curves and likelihood ratios.
RESULTS: Blood cultures of 245 infants (3.6 of 1000 tested newborns) were positive. Mean white blood cell (WBC) counts and mean absolute neutrophil counts (ANCs) were lower, and mean proportions of immature neutrophils were higher in newborns with infection; platelet counts did not differ. Discrimination improved with age in the first few hours, especially for WBC counts and ANCs (eg, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for WBC counts was 0.52 at <1 hour and 0.87 at ≥ 4 hours). Both WBC counts and ANCs were most informative when very low (eg, the likelihood ratio for ANC < 1000 was 115 at ≥ 4 hours). No test was very sensitive; the lowest likelihood ratio (for WBC count ≥ 20 000 at ≥ 4 hours) was 0.16.
CONCLUSION: Optimal interpretation of the CBC requires using interval likelihood ratios for the newborn's age in hours.
Full text links
Related Resources
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app
All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.
By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
Your Privacy Choices
You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app