Neonatologia

According to statistics published in the DATASUS Mortality Information System, 60% of infant mortality occurs in the neonatal period, with sepsis being one of the main causes 1 . The difficult diagnosis of neonatal sepsis and inadequate treatment may increase the risk of mortality and morbidity in this population 2 . The diagnosis of sepsis should be based on clinical and laboratory parameters. Blood culture results are used as the gold standard in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis 3 . This study addressed the importance of the empirical post-use confirmatory diagnosis of antibiotic (ATB) in presumed neonatal sepsis. The study was carried out at the Neonatal Unit of a large maternity unit, with 60 beds and a monthly average of 670 births, located in the North Region of the city of São Paulo. Information was collected from 41 medical records of hospitalized new born in the first half of 2016, of which 36 were premature (≤ 37 weeks) and 5 were terms; all had a diagnosis of sepsis documented in medical records and by the institution's CCIH. The results demonstrated the need for good practices in the rational use of antimicrobials. It is necessary to promote policies of safe prescription and continuing education in neonatal units.