Am J Perinatol 2013; 30(06): 499-504
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1329180
Original Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Is it Justified to Include Urine Cultures in Early (< 72 Hours) Neonatal Sepsis Evaluations of Term and Late Preterm Infants?

Arieh Riskin
1   Department of Neonatology, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
,
Arina Toropine
1   Department of Neonatology, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
2   Department of Pediatrics, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
,
David Bader
1   Department of Neonatology, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
,
Miri Hemo
1   Department of Neonatology, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
,
Isaac Srugo
2   Department of Pediatrics, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
3   Department of Microbiology, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
,
Amir Kugelman
1   Department of Neonatology, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

27 January 2012

25 June 2012

Publication Date:
12 November 2012 (online)

Abstract

Objective Evaluate the need for urine culture in early neonatal sepsis workup of term and late preterm infants.

Study Design Urine culture by suprapubic aspiration or catheter was included in early sepsis evaluations of 173 term and late preterm newborns (mean gestational age 38.6 ± 2.0 weeks) during a 6-month study period. A historic control group included 182 newborns (38.6 ± 2.9 weeks) who had sepsis evaluations without routine urine cultures a year earlier.

Results Urine cultures were sampled in 106 (61%) of the study group, No significant differences were found between study and control groups in the rate of bacteremia (1.73% versus 2.2%) or urinary tract infection (UTI; 0.94% versus 1.1%), which was low. Early UTIs were not accompanied by bacteremia or structural anomalies and were associated with exacerbation of neonatal jaundice in two of three infants.

Conclusions There seems to be no justification for routine urine culture in early neonatal sepsis workup of term and late preterm infants, unless there are accompanying clinical symptoms, usually related to neonatal jaundice.

 
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