Abstract
Introduction: Neonatal sepsis is one of the most common causes of neonatal sepsis mortality and morbidity, despite advances in the health care. It affects mostly premature or babies with very low birth weight. The most challenging part is the variable and vague presentation of the condition, making it hard to diagnose and hence manage.
Aim of the work: In this study we aimed to understand the various methods to diagnose neonatal sepsis early and with higher accuracy so treatment process can be started early with more certainty.
Methodology: we conducted this review using a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, PubMed, and EMBASE from January 1987 to March 2017. The following search terms were used: neonatal sepsis, neonatal ICU conditions, diagnosis of neonatal sepsis, newer markers to detect sepsis in neonates
Conclusion: Both early and late neonatal sepsis remains to be significant causes of morbidity and mortality in both term and premature infants due to non-specific signs and symptoms, making early diagnosis even harder. Several studies that tried to find better approach to sepsis diagnosis used combinations of hematological studies (like complete blood count), acute phase reactants (C reactive proteins, procalcitonin, cytokines), and cell surface markers, along with other markers to detect and assess neonatal sepsis.