Abstract
Objective: To identify challenges in the diagnosis and management of neonatal sepsis, delving into basic concepts and patient management. Review bibliographic: Newborns with neonatal sepsis may present nonspecific signs and symptoms or focal signs of infection. Given the lack of consensus on a specific diagnosis, it is essential to be aware of clinical signs, when present, and to request laboratory tests. The isolation of the causative agent in a normally sterile body site by culture is the gold standard for defining neonatal sepsis. However, several markers have been proposed to aid diagnosis, since there is no single isolated test able to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of the disease with certainty. Because of the clinical nonspecificity and the delay in laboratory confirmation by culture, empirical therapy is the most commonly used treatment. Empirical antimicrobial treatments are based on the distinction between early and late sepsis. Final considerations: Neonatal sepsis faces a lack of consensus regarding its diagnosis, requiring attention to clinical signs, risk factors, and laboratory. A variety of markers and strategies emerge over time that may contribute to early identification and empirical use of antibiotics.