About this Research Topic
Despite the continuous progress in perinatal and neonatal care, sepsis is still a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates accounting for approximately 15% of deaths during the neonatal period globally. Additionally, despite being a life-threatening situation, sepsis in the neonatal population, and especially in very preterm neonates, is a potential source for short- and long-term morbidity and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Initial clinical signs and symptoms of sepsis are subtle and often non-specific in neonates, representing substantial impediments to the institutionalization of an international definition for sepsis in this population.
Early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis is crucial and remains a major challenge for neonatologists due to nonspecific symptoms and laboratory tests with limited diagnostic value, resulting in the empirical and non-prudent antibiotics use, a common practice in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Nevertheless, this practice is largely responsible for a high rate of antibiotic resistance in NICUs, a major issue for global healthcare systems, as it has been estimated that 31% of neonatal deaths related to sepsis can be attributed to antimicrobial resistance.
Prompt evaluation and identification of sepsis signs and symptoms are crucial for the early and appropriate management of neonates. A scoring system with optimal performance for diagnosis of neonatal sepsis along with antimicrobial stewardship programs should be added to the armamentarium towards the achievement of the aforementioned objectives. The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight the novel knowledge on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and prediction of outcomes in septic neonates and provide new insights into the proper management of this vulnerable population. We hope that this knowledge could enhance the endeavor for the establishment of an international definition for neonatal sepsis.
We welcome manuscripts covering experimental and clinical research, systematic reviews, or meta-analysis on, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Neonatal sepsis biomarkers
• The utility of more sensitive diagnostic tests for neonatal sepsis
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence use in neonatal sepsis algorithms
• Predictive Scores for Early and Late-Onset Neonatal Sepsis
• Antimicrobial stewardship programs implementation in NICUs
• Coagulopathy and blood products transfusion in septic neonates
• Advances in the treatment of septic neonates
• Short and long-term outcomes
Early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis is crucial and remains a major challenge for neonatologists due to nonspecific symptoms and laboratory tests with limited diagnostic value, resulting in the empirical and non-prudent antibiotics use, a common practice in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Nevertheless, this practice is largely responsible for a high rate of antibiotic resistance in NICUs, a major issue for global healthcare systems, as it has been estimated that 31% of neonatal deaths related to sepsis can be attributed to antimicrobial resistance.
Prompt evaluation and identification of sepsis signs and symptoms are crucial for the early and appropriate management of neonates. A scoring system with optimal performance for diagnosis of neonatal sepsis along with antimicrobial stewardship programs should be added to the armamentarium towards the achievement of the aforementioned objectives. The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight the novel knowledge on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and prediction of outcomes in septic neonates and provide new insights into the proper management of this vulnerable population. We hope that this knowledge could enhance the endeavor for the establishment of an international definition for neonatal sepsis.
We welcome manuscripts covering experimental and clinical research, systematic reviews, or meta-analysis on, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Neonatal sepsis biomarkers
• The utility of more sensitive diagnostic tests for neonatal sepsis
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence use in neonatal sepsis algorithms
• Predictive Scores for Early and Late-Onset Neonatal Sepsis
• Antimicrobial stewardship programs implementation in NICUs
• Coagulopathy and blood products transfusion in septic neonates
• Advances in the treatment of septic neonates
• Short and long-term outcomes
Keywords: neonatal sepsis, neonates, sepsis biomarkers, inflammation, predicting scores, septic shock
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
