Neonatal septicemia and perinatal risk factors.

Many methods for screening and prediction of neonatal septicemia have been tried. In this study a score, related to both perinatal risk factors and neonatal diseases, was tested upon healthy newborn infants, infants with septicemia and infants with other diseases. Statistical differences were found between infants with neonatal septicemia and infants with other neonatal diseases as well as normal newborns. It was also possible to find a relationship between certain predisposing factors and predominance of certain pathogens. Complications during pregnancy and delivery were most often found in the group B streptococcal, combinations of invasive procedures and neonatal diseases in the staphylococcal group and surgical procedures in the gram-negative group.