Chorioamnionitis and the Risk for Preterm Sepsis

School Name

South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics

Grade Level

12th Grade

Presentation Topic

Physiology and Health

Presentation Type

Mentored

Abstract

Neonatal sepsis is the bacterial infection of the bloodstream in infants under 28 days old and is one of the leading causes of death in children under the age of five worldwide. Early antibiotic treatment is crucial to prevent the spread of sepsis. Symptoms of neonatal sepsis are non-specific, meaning that signs, symptoms, and risk factors must be recognized and monitored closely for diagnosis. This study focuses on how chorioamnionitis, the maternal infection of the amniotic sac, affects the risk of sepsis in preterm neonates. Data for this study was collected from 318 premature neonates and mothers across the University of North Carolina, Eastern Carolina University, the Medical University of South Carolina, PRISMA, and Duke University starting in June 2019 and is continuing to be collected as of July 2023. The presence of sepsis was recorded daily and the presence of maternal chorioamnionitis was recorded at one time. This data was then processed using Python and tested using a chi-square analysis to determine the correlation between the two diseases. The data collected produced a chi-square value of 2.74 with a p-value of 0.1, showing a trend in the data, but not enough to make a significant conclusion. This data gives a phi-value of 0.32, meaning that the sample size was too small to give conclusive information. With the trend shown between the two conditions, premature neonates that have mothers with chorioamnionitis should be watched closely to begin antibiotic treatment as soon as sepsis is suspected and improve prognoses.

Location

RITA 261

Start Date

3-23-2024 9:45 AM

Presentation Format

Oral Only

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Mar 23rd, 9:45 AM

Chorioamnionitis and the Risk for Preterm Sepsis

RITA 261

Neonatal sepsis is the bacterial infection of the bloodstream in infants under 28 days old and is one of the leading causes of death in children under the age of five worldwide. Early antibiotic treatment is crucial to prevent the spread of sepsis. Symptoms of neonatal sepsis are non-specific, meaning that signs, symptoms, and risk factors must be recognized and monitored closely for diagnosis. This study focuses on how chorioamnionitis, the maternal infection of the amniotic sac, affects the risk of sepsis in preterm neonates. Data for this study was collected from 318 premature neonates and mothers across the University of North Carolina, Eastern Carolina University, the Medical University of South Carolina, PRISMA, and Duke University starting in June 2019 and is continuing to be collected as of July 2023. The presence of sepsis was recorded daily and the presence of maternal chorioamnionitis was recorded at one time. This data was then processed using Python and tested using a chi-square analysis to determine the correlation between the two diseases. The data collected produced a chi-square value of 2.74 with a p-value of 0.1, showing a trend in the data, but not enough to make a significant conclusion. This data gives a phi-value of 0.32, meaning that the sample size was too small to give conclusive information. With the trend shown between the two conditions, premature neonates that have mothers with chorioamnionitis should be watched closely to begin antibiotic treatment as soon as sepsis is suspected and improve prognoses.