A Study of Neutrophil Volume, Conductance and Scattergram Parameters in early detection of Neonatal Sepsis

Background Neonatal sepsis remains one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity despite the progress in hygiene, introduction of new and potent antimicrobial agents for treatment, and advanced measures for diagnosis. It is responsible for 30- 50 % of the total neonatal deaths in developing countries. It is extremely important to make an early and accurate identification of neonatal sepsis for prompt antimicrobial therapy and better outcomes. Materials and method A total Number of 350 neonates with clinical suspicion of septicemia were selected. Blood samples were collected within 24 hours of patients admission and before the initiation of antibiotic therapy. Blood samples were tested to obtain culture and haematological results. Results Out of 350 neonates we found 184 culture positive and 166 culture negative patients. Klebsiella pneumonae was the most common micro-organism inoculated. We observed significant increase of MNV and significant decrease of MNS in culture positive patient than culture negative group. However the changes in MNC were not significant. Conclusion There are several markers to diagnose neonatal sepsis still the researchers are searching for the ideal and accurate marker. We suggest that neutrophil VCS parameters are useful for early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis.