Diagnostic accuracy of tachypnoea for predicting mortality and identifying sepsis in young infants aged 0–59 days: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Report - MDSpire

Diagnostic accuracy of tachypnoea for predicting mortality and identifying sepsis in young infants aged 0–59 days: a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • By

  • Suci Ardini Widyaningsih

  • Sophie Driker

  • Alastair Fung

  • Naomi Schmeck

  • Sitarah Mathias

  • Megan Yu

  • Yasir Shafiq

  • Amber Hoey

  • Tessa Kehoe

  • Yumin Kim

  • Jana Adnan

  • Anum S Hussaini

  • Carrie G Wade

  • Anne CC Lee

  • July 2, 2026

  • 0 min

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Clinical Report: Evaluating the Diagnostic Precision of Tachypnoea in Infants

Overview

This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of tachypnoea thresholds in predicting mortality and detecting sepsis in infants aged 0–59 days. Tachypnoea≥60 bpm was associated with increased odds of mortality.

Background

Tachypnoea is a critical clinical sign used to predict mortality and identify sepsis in young infants. Accurate identification of at-risk infants is essential for timely intervention, especially in low-resource settings where laboratory diagnostics may not be available.

Data Highlights

Tachypnoea ThresholdPooled OR for MortalitySensitivitySpecificity
≥60 bpm3.14 (95% CI 1.30 to 7.56)31% (95% CI 19% to 45%)89% (95% CI 66% to 97%)
≥70 bpm10.06 (95% CI 2.39 to 42.35)10.9% (95% CI 5.3 to 19.1%)99.4% (95% CI 99.1 to 99.6%)

Key Findings

  • Tachypnoea≥60 bpm is associated with a threefold increased odds of mortality in infants.
  • The sensitivity of tachypnoea≥60 bpm for predicting mortality is 31%, with a specificity of 89%.
  • Tachypnoea≥70 bpm shows a higher odds ratio for mortality (OR 10.06) but lower sensitivity (10.9%).
  • Tachypnoea is not significantly associated with culture-confirmed sepsis.

Clinical Implications

Tachypnoea should be used as a danger sign for assessing mortality risk in young infants.

Conclusion

The findings support the use of tachypnoea as a clinical sign for mortality risk in young infants.

Related Resources & Content

  1. Author(s)/Org, Source, Year -- Title
  2. Intensive Care Medicine — Utilizing Machine Learning to Forecast Sepsis: A Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Accuracy
  3. Frontiers in Pediatrics — Diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasound for transient tachypnea of the newborn: a meta-analysis
  4. International Journal of Infectious Diseases — Mortality Risk Prediction from Dense PICU Data from Patients with Suspected Infection: Data-Derived Physiological Trajectories Outperform Expert Assessments When Temporal Resolution Is High
  5. Frontiers in Medicine — Prediction models for mortality in patients with sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
  6. WHO recommendations for management of serious bacterial infections in infants aged 0–59 days
  7. https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/mca-documents/child/imci-integrated-management-of-childhood-illness/imci-in-service-training/imci_in_servicetraining_mod05.pdf?sfvrsn=29d4b3bd_6
  8. WHO recommendations
  9. Clinical Signs Associated With Mortality and Sepsis in Young Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | Pediatrics | JAMA Pediatrics | JAMA Network
  10. Accuracy of Infant Clinical Signs to Predict Young Infant Mortality
  11. Update to the Neonatal Early-Onset Sepsis Calculator Utilizing a Contemporary Cohort | Pediatrics | American Academy of Pediatrics

Original Source(s)

Diagnostic accuracy of tachypnoea for predicting mortality and identifying sepsis in young infants aged 0–59 days: a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • by Suci Ardini Widyaningsih, Sophie Driker, Alastair Fung, Naomi Schmeck, Sitarah Mathias, Megan Yu, Yasir Shafiq, Amber Hoey, Tessa Kehoe, Yumin Kim, Jana Adnan, Anum S Hussaini, Carrie G Wade, Anne CC Lee

  • July 2, 2026

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