American journal of perinatology
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Multicenter Study
Pilot study of a new mathematical algorithm for early detection of late-onset sepsis in very low-birth-weight infants.
Diagnosis of late onset sepsis (LOS) in very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm infants relies mainly on clinical suspicion, whereas prognosis depends on early initiation of antibiotic treatment. RALIS is a mathematical algorithm for early detection of LOS incorporating six vital signs measured every 2 hours. ⋯ RALIS has a promising potential as an easy to implement noninvasive early indicator of LOS, especially for ruling out LOS in VLBW high-risk infants.