Neonatal sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly among preterm and lowbirth weight infants in developing countries like India. The condition is difficult to diagnose early due tononspecific clinical manifestations, leading to delayed treatment and poor outcomes. Early and reliable laboratorymarkers are critical for timely diagnosis and intervention.Aim: This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic utility of various hematological parameters in neonatal sepsis andassess their correlation with blood culture positivity.Methodology: A prospective study was conducted in the Department of Pathology and Pediatrics, GMCH, Purnia,Bihar, India for one year. A total of 90 neonates aged 0–28 days with suspected sepsis were included. Bloodsamples were collected and analyzed for complete blood count (CBC), differential count, C-reactive protein(CRP), micro erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and morphological changes in neutrophils. Blood culture wasperformed to confirm’ bacterial sepsis. Sensitivity and specificity of individual and combined hematologicalparameters were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 27.Results: Among 18 culture-positive cases, significant markers included an elevated immature-to-matureneutrophil ratio (94.44%), increased CRP levels (94.44%), and thrombocytopenia (88.89%). Elevated CRPexhibited the highest sensitivity (95.2%) but low specificity (14.3%), while combining multiple positive markersyielded the best diagnostic performance (sensitivity: 96.1%, specificity: 84.2%).Conclusion: Hematological parameters, particularly the combination of multiple markers, can serve as reliablescreening tools for early neonatal sepsis diagnosis. Their prompt use can improve neonatal outcomes byfacilitating early intervention.
Kumari et al. (Sat,) studied this question.