[Clinical features and outcomes of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis]

To study the clinical features of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and risk factors for poor outcomes.

A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 121 preterm infants diagnosed with NEC. According to the treatment method, they were divided into a non-surgical group (n=66) and a surgical group (n=55). According to the outcome, they were divided into a survival group (n=76) and a death group (n=45). Clinical features were compared between these groups. Risk factors for poor outcomes were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Compared with the non-surgical group, the surgical group had significantly lower corrected gestational age, minimum platelet count, and incidence rate of bloody stool at the onset of NEC (P<0.05). The maximum C-reactive protein (CRP) and mortality rate in the surgical group were significantly higher than those in the non-surgical group (P<0.05). Compared with the survival group, the death group had significantly lower gestational age at birth, birth weight, proportion of small-for-gestational-age infants, and corrected gestational age, body weight and minimum platelet count at the onset of NEC (P<0.05). The incidence of patent ductus arteriosus, rate of use of ibuprofen, maximum CRP and rate of surgical treatment in the death group were significantly higher than those in the survival group (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ibuprofen treatment was a risk factor for death in infants with NEC (OR=9.149, P<0.05).

Ibuprofen treatment increases the risk for death in preterm infants with NEC.