Sepsis of newborns, or neonatal sepsis is the common infectious disease, which is accompanied by bacteremia, when bacteria get into the blood from the focus of infection. Among toddlers who underwent this condition, a high percentage of deaths, especially in premature babies. Infection of a newborn can occur in the womb, at the time of birth and after childbirth.
Neonatal sepsis: Causes
To such a serious condition of the body lead the primary foci of infection. They can become diseases of the respiratory tract, nasopharynx, digestive tract, purulent skin lesions, umbilical wound). As the foci develop, contiguous blood vessels and tissues are affected, and pathogens continue to spread. The most frequent pathogens of sepsis are streptococci, staphylococci, enterococci, Escherichia coli, pneumococcus, and others.
Some factors may become prerequisites for the development of sepsis in children:
- complications in the mother during pregnancy (toxicosis, transferred infections, perenashivanie);
- defects and pathologies of intrauterine development of the fetus;
- complicated birth (asphyxia);
- multiple pregnancies;
- prematurity of the newborn.
Distinguish between early and late sepsis. The first form of the disease is revealed in the first 4 days of the baby's life, because the infection occurs in utero or when passing through the infected ways of the mother. Late sepsis is characterized by manifestation for 2-3 weeks of life.
Sepsis in children: symptoms
If the baby is born already infected, he has a fever, vomiting and frequent regurgitation, pale skin, a rash on the body and jaundice. With the development of sepsis in the postpartum period, the baby is gradually deteriorating in the first weeks of life: the skin becomes pale, the temperature rises, belching becomes more frequent, jaundice and purulent skin lesions appear. Signs of sepsis include lowering the body weight of the baby, bleeding the navel and delaying the death of the umbilical remainder.
Treatment of sepsis in newborns
Because of the possibility of a fatal outcome, the treatment of sepsis occurs only in a hospital.
Therapy with antibiotics of a group of penicillins or cephalosporins, intravenously or intramuscularly. Along with this, prebiotics must be prescribed to prevent intestinal dysbiosis - lactobacterin, linex, bifidumbacterin. To avoid the development of candidiasis against the background of antibiotic treatment, fluconazole is prescribed. In some cases, the introduction of donor blood or plasma.
To strengthen the protective functions of the newborn's body, immunotherapy and vitamin therapy are carried out.