E Guler Kazanci, EA Ozer, S Alkan Ozdemir

Abstract

Background: Despite improving neonatal care, neonatal infections are still a fundamental problem. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to predict the duration of hospitalisation in term infants with early neonatal infection. Patients and Methods: The infants included in the study were divided into two groups: infants who required hospitalisation ≥7 days (increased length of stay (LOS) group) or those who required hospitalisation for less than 7 days (control group). The two groups were compared for gestational age, birth weight, mode of delivery, need for respiratory support, complete blood count parameters, C-reactive protein (CRP), blood culture and chest X-ray. Results: The study included 120 eligible term newborn infants according to the study protocol. The number of infants needs respiratory support, abnormal chest X-ray and CRP positive cases were statistically significantly higher in the increased LOS group NLR was also statistically significantly higher in the increased LOS group. Conclusion: This study is the first cohort study that evaluates the value of NLR and CRP for predicting of length of stay in term neonates with early neonatal infection. Our results emphasize that, both NLR and CRP are effective in predicting length of stay in this group.