The evaluation of our newborns cases operated due to necrotizing enterocolitis

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of newborns operated due to necrotizing enterecolitis (NEC) in newborn intensive care unit and to evaluate the mortality of these patients. Material and Methods: The research was designed retrospectively. The study included 39 patients operated due to NEC in our newborn intensive care unit between January 2010 and December 2015 and their characteristic factors and prognosis were evaluated. Results: The average gestational age and weight at birth of the newborns were 31.5±3.7 weeks, 1861±817 g respectively. There were significant differences between the newborns who died and survived in respect to birth weight, age at the time of operation, presence of antenatal steroid application, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, intestinal presence of perforation, blood culture positivity (p<0.05 for all comparisons). Conclusion: NEC is the most common life-threatening gastrointestinal emergency experienced by premature infants cared for in the newborn intensive care unit. It is thought that the most important ethiologic factors are prematurity, hypoxia and enteral nutrition. At the same time, it is a devastating gastrointestinal disease that is associated with severe sepsis, intestinal perforation, and significant morbidity and mortality. Its mortality and morbidity rates have been reduced due to developments in newborn intensive care. However, mortality rate is still high among newborns operated due to NEC. For these reasons our thought is that promptly arranged operation time can help to reduce the frequency of mortality