RESISTIVE INDEX OF ANTERIOR CEREBRALARTERY IN LATE ONSET NEONATAL SEPSIS

Background And Objectives: Point of care neonatal ultrasound is a valuable tool for evaluating the heart, brain, lungs, and abdomen in cases of neonatal sepsis. Understanding blood flow in the brain during neonatal sepsis is complex and not well understood. This study aimed to measure blood flow in the brain by checking the resistive index (RI) of the anterior cerebral artery in babies with late-onset neonatal sepsis (LONS). Methods: All newborns admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit from January 2023 to June 2024 with suspected late-onset neonatal sepsis (LONS) had a bedside trans-cranial Doppler ultrasound to measure the resistive index (RI) of the anterior cerebral artery within 24 hours of showing symptoms. Babies with congenital heart disease, birth asphyxia, major birth defects, and genetic syndromes were excluded. Only those with a positive culture were included in the final analysis. Results: Out of suspected late-onset neonatal sepsis (LONS) cases, 23 had positive cultures and were analyzed. The mean admission weight was 2.04 kg, and the mean gestational age was 33+2 weeks. The most common bacteria found was Klebsiella pneumoniae & Escherichia coli. The resistive index (RI) was high in 52.2% (12 out of 23), normal in 39.1% (9 out of 23) and low in 8.7% (2 out of 23) of the cases. Conclusions: Late-onset neonatal sepsis (LONS) is a complex condition, and our study found it is linked with a high resistive index (RI) majority of cases, suggesting reduced brain blood flow.