APGAR score – the most accurate indicator for the risk of neonatal infection, correlated with the number of days of hospitalization and parity

• Published in: Revista română de boli infecţioase Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 102 - 107
• Main Authors: Cotoi, Titiana Cornelia, Niculescu, Raluca, Sincu, Mihaela Cornelia, Chiorean, Diana, Suciu, Laura Mihaela, Muntean, Daniela Lucia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amaltea Medical Publishing House 30-06-2020
• Subjects: apgar score; c-reactive protein; early neonatal infections
• ISSN: 1454-3389; 2069-6051
• DOI: 10.37897/RJID.2020.2.9

Introduction. Infections in newborns are a widely studied topic worldwide. Neonatal infections are of two types: those with early onset, acquired from microorganisms from the female genital tract or peripartum and those with late onset, which appeared as a result of invasive procedures, due to nosocomial or invasive germs peri- or postpartum. Objectives. The aim of the study was to identify predictors of early-onset neonatal infections. Material and methods. We conducted a prospective study at the Neonatology Clinic within the County Clinical Hospital in Tg. Mures, Romania, between January 2017 and March 2019. Results. The study included 120 newborns, of which 15 (12.5%) had an APGAR score of 10 per 1 minute. At 5 minutes, 57 (47.5%) had an APGAR score of 10. Type of birth: 59 (49.2%) of the patients were born vaginally and 61 (50.8%) by cesarean section. The average of the gestational age was 39.04 weeks. The average weight at birth was 3,197.33 g, and at discharge was 3,126.12 g. The average length of the new-borns was 51.62 cm, and the average of the cranial perimeter was 33.48 cm. Most frequently, patients presented infectious pathologies, early neonatal (n = 40), frequently associated with the damage of the lung system. The average length of time spent in hospital was of 4 days, with an average of 6.15 days. The APGAR score at 1 minute and 5 minutes was statistically significantly correlated with the number of days of hospitalization and parity of the mother. Conclusions. The APGAR score at 1 minute and 5 minutes was the most accurate indicator for the risk of neonatal infection in our study. Its values correlated with the number of days of hospitalization. The number of hospitalization days was also correlated with parity.