Neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis: a nine-year experience. II. Outcome assessment
R. M. Kliegman and A. A. Fanaroff
Mortality was assessed in a nine-year experience with 123 patients with
necrotizing enterocolitis. Overall mortality was 45%. Despite intestinal
perforation among surgically treated patients, there was no difference in
mortality between surgically or medically treated patients(46% vs 54%).
Patients with only hematochezia or abdominal distention has a lower
mortality than those who appeared "septic" (35% vs 68%). Similarly, those
with bacteremia and disseminated intravascular coagulation had high
mortality as well as those in whom peritonitis with ascites developed. When
the entire patient population is considered, prior therapy with ascites
developed. When the entire patient population is considered, prior therapy
with systemic antibiotics or concomitant therapy with oral aminoglycosides
had no effect on severity of the disease, occurrence of intestinal
perforation, or mortality.
