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. 2019 May;178(5):673-680.
doi: 10.1007/s00431-019-03339-2. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of age in preterm infants with late-onset sepsis

I A Zonnenberg  1 , E M van Dijk-Lokkart  2 , F A M van den Dungen  3 , R J Vermeulen  4   5 , M M van Weissenbruch  3
Affiliations

Neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of age in preterm infants with late-onset sepsis

I A Zonnenberg et al. Eur J Pediatr. 2019 May.

Abstract

Late-onset sepsis is associated with impaired neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants. This prospective cohort study aims to establish the effect of sepsis after 72 h of life on cognitive, psychomotor, and language development of preterm infants (below 32 weeks gestational age and/or below 1500 g). At 2 years corrected age, neurodevelopmental outcome was tested using Bayley's Scales of Infant Development-II, Lexilijst (lexical development questionnaire), and behavior checklists. Of 117 patients included, 85 experienced blood culture-proven infection. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were responsible for 55% of the episodes. No significant differences were found in cognitive, motor, and behavioral scores or lexiquotient comparing patients with versus no proven infection. When comparing three groups (coagulase-negative staphylococci, other, and negative blood culture), a significant difference was found in composite cognitive scores (p = 0.016), in favor of the coagulase-negative staphylococci group versus other causal agent group (p = 0.007). No significant differences were found in other subscales.Conclusion: In this cohort, no differences were found in neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years corrected age between proven and no proven infection groups; confirmation in larger cohorts with a control group is needed. Patients encountering coagulase-negative staphylococci sepsis showed a significant better cognitive outcome compared to other causal agents. What is Known: • Late-onset sepsis is associated with impaired neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants. What is New: • Preterm infants encountering late-onset sepsis by coagulase-negative staphylococci show a better cognitive outcome in comparison to other causal infectious agents in this cohort. • No differences were found in neurodevelopment at 2 years of age in preterm infants with suspected lateonset sepsis, between proven and no proven infection groups. Confirmation is needed in larger cohorts with a substantial control group.

Keywords: Late-onset sepsis; Neurodevelopmental outcome; Preterm infant.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee (protocol number 2008/77) and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Disclaimer

The study sponsor had no role in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Patient inclusion
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Comparison of BSID-II, Lexilijst, and child behavioral scores at 2 years of age of CoNS, other infections, and no proven infection groups (*p = 0.007; T test, CoNS coagulase-negative staphylococci)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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