Periodicidad semestral: flujo continuo.
ISSN - Electrónico: 2661-6947 / DOI: 10.36015 • LILACS BIREME (19784); LATINDEX (20666)
INTRODUCTION: Early neonatal sepsis is a public health challenge in Ecuador, with high morbidity and mortality rates. Early diagnosis is crucial, but current methods have limitations. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, emerges as a promising biomarker for the detection and management of early neonatal sepsis. This study aims to establish its cutoff point and evaluate its efficacy at the Carlos Andrade Marín Specialty Hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective and descriptive study was conducted at this hospital, collecting neonatal clinical data from January 2017 to December 2021. Records of patients with suspected early neonatal sepsis born from week 26 were included, excluding incomplete medical records or those with late-onset sepsis. Variables such as age, sex, and biomarkers were analyzed using SPSS version 27 software. The study was approved by the hospital's ethics committee. RESULTS: A total of 102 medical records of newborns with neonatal sepsis over 5 years were analyzed. Most were very premature and born by cesarean section. A cutoff point of 0.86 for the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio was determined, with a sensitivity of 98.1% and a specificity of 85.4%. DISCUSSION: No significant relationship was found between sex and sepsis. Although the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio showed high sensitivity and specificity, its low area under the curve indicates that it is not a reliable marker for diagnosing neonatal sepsis. CONCLUSION: Additional studies with larger samples and other biological markers are needed to improve the diagnostic capacity for neonatal sepsis.
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