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Abstract

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND : Neonatal septicemia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. OBJECTIVE: The study is to determine the prevalence , the pattern of organisms and the mortality of neonatal septicemia in a neonatal care unit. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All the cases of neonatal septicemia diagnosed and treated in the neonatal care unit at al-kadimiya teaching hospital for the period january-june 2010 were included in this study. The collected data were : Gender, Birth weight, Gestational age, Onset of sepsis, Place of delivery and Outcome of disease. RESULTS: Out of 589 newborns admitted, 73(12.4%) were confirmed cases of neonatal septicemia. The mortality from neonatal sepsis was 16.4%.Low birth weight and prematurity were independent factors associated with death (P value=0.004 and 0.020 respectively).There were 24 cases (32.9%) of early onset sepsis and 49 cases (67.1%) cases of late onset sepsis. The most common pathogens were gram- negative bacilli causing early-onset sepsis (54%) and late onset sepsis (59%). Only 6 cases out of the total 73 cases of neonatal septicemia were caused by staphylococus aureus (8.2%) . Over 50% of gram-negative bacilli are antibiotic resistant. CONCLUSION: The high rate of gram-negative septicemia and the antibiotic resistance to both ampicillin and gentamycin indicate that the infection was most probably nosocomial in origin.

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