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Home  >  Articles  >  Neonatal Sepsis

Neonatal Sepsis

While the inflammatory medical condition known as sepsis can cause serious health problems for adults, it can be extremely dangerous for infants. As infants are not nearly as well developed as adults or even older children, the presence of a serious bacterial infection can be difficult to catch before the child can be treated. As a result, in cases of any unusual infections or fevers, more complete testing should be performed to rule out neonatal sepsis before it can threaten the infant’s life.

If your child has been harmed because of a physician’s negligent behavior, contact the New Jersey medical malpractice lawyers of Levinson Axelrod, P.A., at 800-346-5529 for a free consultation.

Diagnosing Neonatal Sepsis

Determining whether or not a child is septic can prove difficult for doctors. There are several criteria used to more generally rule out sepsis, but children are often given antibiotics if any suspicions are raised. Physicians may consider sepsis as not being a risk if the child fulfills the following basic criteria:

  • No previous hospitalization
  • No previous infections
  • Delivered at full term
  • Discharged from the hospital with the mother
  • Appears healthy
  • Shows no sign of current infection

If a child meets these criteria, the doctor may either discharge the infant without any further treatment, or may give him or her a single dose of antibiotics just in case. It is expected that a follow-up session can further determine whether the child’s fever illustrates any signs of sepsis or not. However, if the child does fulfill any of the major criteria, immediate action should be taken to fight any infection before it spreads.

Contact Us

Physicians must take special care when treating infants, whether it is at the child’s first moments in the delivery room or in subsequent visits to the doctor. For more information regarding your legal rights as a parent if your child has suffered harm due to a doctor’s reckless actions, contact the New Jersey medical malpractice attorneys of Levinson Axelrod, P.A., today by calling 800-346-5529.