Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis DOI 10.1007/s10096-014-2065-3

ARTICLE

A new procalcitonin cord-based algorithm in early-onset neonatal infection: for a change of paradigm S. Lencot & B. Cabaret & G. Sauvage & C. Laurans & E. Launay & J.-L. Orsonneau & J. Caillon & C. Boscher & J.-C. Roze & C. Gras-Le Guen

Received: 3 October 2013 / Accepted: 20 January 2014 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014

Abstract Diagnostic of early-onset neonatal infection (EONI) remains an emergency. Recent studies underline the potential benefit of using Procalcitonin (PCT) in early diagnosis of bacterial infections in neonates. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of an umbilical blood cord PCT based algorithm in newborns suspected of EONI. The diagnostic value of the PCT based algorithm was compared to the French one currently in use by analyzing an 18months database of newborns suspected of EONI in University Hospital of Nantes from March 2011 to September 2012. Among the 2,408 (40.8 %) newborns suspected of infection during this period, 2,366 were included in the study. The incidence of EONI was 3.4‰ (n=20). There was no significant difference between the sensibilities of the PCT based

S. Lencot Department of Pediatry, University Hospital of Nantes, Hôpital Mère Enfant, 38 Boulevard Jean Monnet, 44093 Nantes Cedex 1, France e-mail: [email protected] B. Cabaret : E. Launay Department of Pediatry, University Hospital of Nantes, Nantes, France G. Sauvage : C. Laurans Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital of Nantes, Nantes, France J.