The early recognition and management of early-onset neonatal pneumonia is a challenge facing intensivists.
Presepsin is an emerging immunologic and inflammatory biomarker that has been used for
early non-culture-based detection of infection. We aimed to clarify the potential of presepsin assessed
in tracheal aspirate of newborns to identify pneumonia. This prospective casecontrol study was conducted
on 60 intubated neonates: Thirty neonates with pneumonia diagnosed according to clinical,
radiological, and laboratory criteria as pneumonia group and thirty age and sex-matched intubated
neonates without pneumonia as a control group. All neonates underwent full clinical evaluation and
laboratory investigations. Plasma and tracheal aspirate presepsin was determined on the first day of
life. The means of tracheal aspirate and plasma presepsin and CRP (525.55 ± 94.62 pg/mL,
670.95 ± 120.38 pg/mL and 26.4 ± 11.2 mg/L, respectively) were significantly higher in pneumonia group
than control group (252.51 ± 104.95 pg/mL, 553.79 ± 117.48 pg/mL, 15.1 ± 3.1mg/L, respectively)
(p |
