This is a report on a case of neonatal sepsis and clinical management with multiple antibiotic therapy in
a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Brazil. A preterm baby boy was born by caesarean section at
34 weeks and two days of gestation from an oligodramnious pregnancy with intrauterine growth
restriction. After respiratory failure detection, the baby was intubated and placed on mechanical
ventilation for respiratory failure and was shifted to NICU. Ampicillin and gentamicin were instituted
empirically.
Enterobacter
spp-induced severe sepsis was diagnosed. Included in the antibiotic therapy
were oxacycline, amikacin, cefepime, tazocin, meropen and teicoplanin. After sixty days in NICU,
clinical and laboratory parameters were normalized and the baby recovered. The empirical long-term
antibiotic treatment and the use of broad spectrum antibiotics, as observed in the present case, should
be carefully considered in newborns admitted to NICU.