Suspected neonatal sepsis requires judicious use of tests, antimicrobials

Early onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) can be difficult to diagnose while waiting for the results of laboratory cultures, because sometimes mild clinical signs such as transient tachypnea resolve. In addition, some types of diagnostic testing are only useful to determine whether treatment should be discontinued.

Certain types of diagnostic testing are not useful in identifying cases of EONS in newborns likely to be infected, but are useful in identifying EONS in low-risk newborns. A report published recently in the journal Pediatrics recommends that clinicians...