Paediatricians here have found a novel test method to diagnose ‘newborn sepsis’ from the blood of umbilical cord.

Child specialists at the SMS Medical College, Jaipur have found that an umbilical cord connecting mother’s placenta to the baby is the most useful part to diagnose the neonatal septicemia or sepsis, and save the life of new born in the early days of his/her life.

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There is a general trend in delivery procedures to cut and throw the umbilical cord as soon as the mother gives birth to a baby. Mother’s medical history during pregnancy could reveal the ‘sepsis’ (any kind of infection), if any, in the newborn and the new path test could be a health benefit for the both.

Septicemia, or sepsis, is the clinical name for blood poisoning by bacteria. It is the body’s most extreme response to an infection. Sepsis that progresses to septic shock has a high death rate depending on the type of organism involved. The sepsis is a medical emergency and needs urgent medical treatment.

Noted paediatricians, Dr Chiranji Lal, Dr Ram Babu Sharma, Dr Dhanraj Bagri and Dr Neelam Singh, posted at JK Lon Hospital under SMS Medical College, who have found the new diagnosis of neonatal sepsis, published a research paper titled ‘Diagnostic accuracy of Cord and Venous blood Procalcitonin in Relation to Neonatal Sepsis Screen” in the recent issue of Journal of Neonatology.

This methodology of the test will be an important milestone as the Infant Mortality Rate in India is 30 per 1000 live births in 2019 at national level, according to the Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin of Registrar of India (RGI).

Neonatal sepsis is an important cause of neonatal deaths globally. The neonatal sepsis causes significant morbidity and 30 to 50 percent of total neonatal deaths in developing countries. South Asia accounts for 3.5 million cases per year of the 6.9 million global neonatal sepsis burdens. India, with its 1.5 billion population, has a large proportion of this disease burden.

These child specialists stressed that the blood sample taken from umbilical cord enables neonatal experts to diagnose the suspected sepsis faster and to manage the newborn in his/her early days of life.

Dr Dhanraj Bagri, who led the research team told SNS, “The test method is simple and comparatively far better than the blood sample directly taken from the vein of a newborn intermittently in early days of his/her birth.”

According to their study, the umbilical blood sampling protects neonates from the pain of venipunctures. Umbilical blood sampling protects neonates from the pain of venipunctures. Statistical comparison of cord blood PCT in relation to sepsis screen and/or blood culture and comparisons with the venous blood parameters in the same domains suggests better sensitivity and specificity than venous blood PCT.

This early serological biomarker is valuable for early diagnosis and management while awaiting blood culture reports and helps in reducing the separation of neonates with suspected sepsis from their mother and thus helping in developmental supportive care.

The present study was planned to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of cord blood serum PCT (Procalcitonin, a biomarker specific for bacterial infections) in comparison to venous blood PCT. Statistical comparison of cord blood PCT in relation to sepsis screen and/or blood culture, and comparisons with the venous blood parameters in the same domains suggests better sensitivity and specificity than venous blood PCT.

“This early serological biomarker is valuable for early diagnosis and management while awaiting blood culture reports and helps in reducing the separation of neonates with suspected sepsis from their mother and thus helping in developmental supportive care”, said Dr Bagri.

The Medical and Health Departments should follow this procedure to reduce the prevailing rate of IMR and MMR (Mother Mortality Rate) in the country, recommending their research Dr Bagri demanded.