Antibiotic regimens for suspected early neonatal sepsis

Antibiotics for newborn infants that might have blood infections when aged less than 48 hours. Blood infection (sepsis) can make newborn infants seriously ill or even kill them. Sepsis in newborns less than 48 hours old is called early neonatal sepsis. It is usually caused by bacteria passed from the mother. Doctors often give antibiotics if they suspect this dangerous condition because it can be difficult to tell if a newborn has early neonatal sepsis. Certain antibiotics can have significant side effects and their use can also lead to antibiotic resistance, which results in worse infection and possible damage to the intestines, kidneys, liver, or hearing. The authors of this review studied the medical literature to find out which kinds of antibiotics are best for suspected early neonatal sepsis, and what side effects these antibiotics cause. They found 15 relevant studies, but only two of these studies focused on infants less than 48 hours old. The two studies included a total of 127 newborns and compared newborns who received one antibiotic (monotherapy) to infants who received more than one antibiotic (combination therapy). There were no differences between the two groups. Both of the studies were published in the 1980s and are probably out of date. The authors of this review concluded that there is no evidence for using a particular kind of antibiotic for early neonatal sepsis.