Volume 24, Issue 103, May - June, 2020

The value of procalcitonin in the early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis in Vietnam

Xuan Minh Ngo^♦, Diem Thi Ngoc Nguyen

Faculty of Medicine, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam

^♦Corresponding author
Faculty of Medicine, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Email: xuanlien62@pnt.edu.vn

ABSTRACT

Background: Neonatal infections such as sepsis area leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Vietnam. This study was conducted to determine the value of procalcitonin (PCT) in neonatal sepsis. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 neonates with a gestational age of over 34 weeks admitted to Children’s Hospital 1 in Vietnam from February 2 to June 30, 2017. Results: Of 100 neonates, 11 were in the definite sepsis group (DSG), 23 were in the possible sepsis group (PSG), and 66 were in the no sepsis group (NSG). PCT was present in 90.9% of DSG cases, 87% of PSG cases, and 3% of NSG cases. PCT was positive in 75% cases of early-onset sepsis and 90% cases of late-onset sepsis. In the receiver operating characteristic analysis, the area under the curve was 0.978 for PCT, 0.891 for CRP, 0.745 for leukocytes, and 0.44 for platelets. Conclusions: Patients with sepsis had high PCT levels. Furthermore, PCT levels that increased had higher sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values than CRP, leukocyte counts, and platelet counts.

Keywords: Diagnosis sepsis, neonatal sepsis, procalcitonin, Vietnam

Medical Science, 2020, 24(103), 1789-1795

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