AI Algorithms for Modeling the Risk, Progression, and Treatment of Sepsis, Including Early-Onset Sepsis-A Systematic Review.

Sepsis remains a significant contributor to neonatal mortality worldwide. However, the nonspecific nature of sepsis symptoms in neonates often leads to the necessity of empirical treatment, placing a burden of ineffective treatment on patients. Furthermore, the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance is exacerbating the situation. Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming medical practice and in hospital settings. AI shows great potential for assessing sepsis risk and devising optimal treatment strategies. Background/

Objectives

This review aims to investigate the application of AI in the detection and management of neonatal sepsis.

Methods

A systematic literature review (SLR) evaluating AI methods in modeling and classifying sepsis between 1 January 2014, and 1 January 2024, was conducted. PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science were systematically searched for English-language studies focusing on neonatal sepsis.

Results

The analyzed studies predominantly utilized retrospective electronic medical record (EMR) data to develop, validate, and test AI models to predict sepsis occurrence and relevant parameters. Key predictors included low gestational age, low birth weight, high results of C-reactive protein and white blood cell counts, and tachycardia and respiratory failure. Machine learning models such as logistic regression, random forest, K-nearest neighbor (KNN), support vector machine (SVM), and XGBoost demonstrated effectiveness in this context.

Conclusions

The summarized results of this review highlight the great promise of AI as a clinical decision support system for diagnostics, risk assessment, and personalized therapy selection in managing neonatal sepsis.