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Published on: August 25, 2014
Sick Neonate Score--A Simple Clinical Score for Predicting Mortality of Sick Neonates in Resource Restricted Settings
Deepak Rathod1, B Adhisivam2, B Vishnu Bhat1
1Department of Pediatrics, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry, 605 006, India.
Objective:
To evaluate an objective score to assess the condition of sick neonates at arrival and its use in predicting mortality.
Methods:
This descriptive study included 303 extramural neonates who were evaluated using a simple clinical score - Sick neonate score (SNS). All neonates were followed up till discharge or expiry. The score and its individual components were correlated with outcome. A receiver operating curve was plotted to determine the cutoff value for SNS in predicting mortality.
Results:
The common indications for neonatal transport were sepsis (30.7 %), birth asphyxia (17.5 %) and respiratory distress (15.2 %). Sixty neonates (20 %) expired and among them 76 % were hypothermic and 10 % hypoglycemic at admission. The average SNS for all neonates was 10 while it was 6 for those who expired. A cutoff value of SNS ≤ 8 predicted mortality with a sensitivity of 58.3 % and specificity of 52.7 %.
Conclusions:
SNS is a useful scoring system to predict outcome of sick neonates in resource restricted settings.
