Vasoactive inotropic score as a predictor of mortality in neonatal septic shock

Although many improvements in neonatal care have been achieved, mortality rates for sepsis and septic shock in newborns are still high. The vasoactive inotropic score (VIS) was designed and studied to predict mortality in different settings. There are currently no data on the predictive ability of the VIS for mortality in newborn patients with septic shock. Patients with late-onset neonatal sepsis who required inotropes because of fluid-refractory septic shock during the study period were included in the study. Four distinct VIS values were calculated for each septic shock episode after inotropic treatment had begun, that is, at the initiation of inotropic treatment and at 24 and 48 h after inotropic treatment had begun, and the highest VIS (VISmax) at any time after initiation of inotropic agents. The 98 episodes studied were divided into two groups according to the outcomes of their sepsis episodes as survivors (n = 39) or nonsurvivors (n = 59). The areas under the curve of the VIS values for the prediction of mortality were the VISmax (0.819, p