RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 RELIABILITY OF TWO DIFFERENT BEDSIDE TESTS FOR C-REACTIVE PROTEIN IN NEWBORN INFANTS JF Archives of Disease in Childhood JO Arch Dis Child FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health SP pw364 OP pw364 VO 93 IS Suppl 2 A1 Zecca, E A1 Tiberi, E A1 Corsello, M A1 De Luca, D A1 Vento, G YR 2008 UL http://adc.bmj.com/content/93/Suppl_2/pw364.abstract AB Objective C-reactive protein (CRP) is helpful in the management of neonatal sepsis. The conventional laboratory test is time consuming and impractical for diagnostic and treatment purposes. This study was designed to compare two fast bedside methods with our conventional laboratory method.Method All newborns with a clinical suspicion of sepsis had CRP measured simultaneously by our central laboratory nephelometric method and by two different bedside tests. Orion Quick Read is an immunoturbidometric assay whereas Sentinel NycoCard is a solid phase immunometric assay. Both of them require less than 3 minutes to get the results. CRP values <10 mg/l are considered as negative for all three methods. Specificity, sensitivity and predictive values were calculated comparing the two bedside test values with the central laboratory ones. A multiple multinomial regression was performed to look for possible confounding variables.Results Forty-three newborns (mean gestational age 33.6 + 4.3 weeks, mean weight 2.23 + 0.87 kg, mean day of life 8 + 6 days) were studied. Orion Quick Read and Sentinel NycoCard had a sensitivity of 93.7% and 100%, a specificity of 81.4% and 81.4%, a positive predictive value of 76% and 75% and a negative predictive value of 100% and 95.6%, respectively. Multiple multinomial regression showed that the two bedside methods are not influenced by gestational age, weight and day of life.Conclusions Both the methods are easy to use at the bedside of the patient and provide highly reliable results in less time than the central laboratory.