Opiyo and English identified clinical signs indicative of severe illness in neonates and young infants less than 2 months of age. These can help a health working in a developing country decide which infants should be admitted to a hospital for evaluation. The authors are from KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Nairobi and University of Oxford.
Patient selection: age 0 to 59 days in a developing country
Clinical signs indicative severe illness - one or more of the following:
(1) history of feeding difficulty
(2) history of convulsions
(3) axillary temperature < 35.5°C or >= 37.5°C
(4) a change in the level of activity
(5) rapid breathing with respirations >= 60 breaths per minute
(6) severe chest indrawing
(7) grunting
(8) cyanosis (or hypoxemia on pulse oximetry)
where:
• Change in level of activity might include restlessness, lethargy, not moving when stimulated or reduced consciousness.
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