Evaluation of Early Onset Sepsis, Complete Blood Count, and Antibiotic Use in Gastroschisis

Objective  Gastroschisis is a congenital defect in which the abdominal viscera herniate through the abdominal wall. In this population, antibiotics are often initiated immediately following delivery; however, this may be unnecessary as infections typically develop as a consequence of chronic issues in gastroschisis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of culture positive early onset sepsis, the reliability of the immature to mature neutrophil count (I:T) ratio as an infectious biomarker, and antibiotic use in infants with gastroschisis. Study Design  This retrospective chart review analyzed clinical data from 103 infants with gastroschisis and 103 weight-matched controls that were evaluated for early onset infection. Results  Compared with the control group, there was a significantly increased percentage of infants with an I:T ratio > 0.2 in the gastroschisis group (43% vs. 12%, p p Conclusion  Our results indicate that I:T ratio is not a reliable marker of infection in gastroschisis, and suggest that empiric septic evaluation and antibiotic use, immediately following delivery in gastroschisis infants, may be unnecessary.