Abstract:
Background:-Neonatal sepsis is a clinical syndrome of bacteraemia characterized by systemic
signs and symptom of infection in the first 28 days of life. Several studies were assessed the
magnitude and associated factors of neonatal sepsis but there was a limited data on recovery time
of neonatal sepsis. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the recovery time of neonatal sepsis
among neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of public comprehensive specialized
hospitals which is not well known.
Objective:-The objective of this study was to assess time to recover of neonatal sepsis and its
determinant factors among admitted neonates at NICU in selected public comprehensive
specialized of SNNPRS, Ethiopia, 2023.
Method:-A retrospective follow up study was conducted among 643 charts of neonates with
neonatal sepsis who was admitted in NICU at public comprehensive specialized hospitals in
SNNPRS from 1st January 2021 to January 1st
, 2023 using systematic random sampling. Kaplan
Meier curve and log-rank were used to estimate recovery time and to compare the probability of
survival time. Cox Proportional Hazard regression model was used. Variables with p-value <
0.05 in multivariable analysis using the cox proportional hazard model was stated as statistically
significant predictors of recovery from neonatal sepsis.
Result: The overall median recovery time was 8 days. The incidence rate of recovery from
neonatal sepsis was 9.86 per 100 neonate day’s observation and the recovery rate of neonate
admitted with neonatal sepsis was 83.2%. The factors significantly associated with recovery time
of neonatal sepsis includes; respiratory distress (AHR: 0.71, 95% CI (0.59, 0.85)), resuscitation
at birth (AHR: 0.65, 95% CI (0.49, 0.87)), having fever (AHR: 0.82, 95% CI (0.67, 0.99)) and
frequency of antibiotics change (AHR: 2.0, 95% CI (1.57, 2.63)).
Conclusion: The time to recovery from neonatal sepsis was significantly affected by
resuscitation at birth, respiratory distress, having fever and frequency of antibiotics change.
Therefore, giving special attention to neonates with identified predictors is for their recovery
