Prognostic factors related to mortality in newborns with necrotising enterocolitis

BackgroundNecrotising enterocolitis is the most frequent and severe acquired gastrointestinal disease in newborns and still has high mortality. There are few published papers about prognostic factors of death in our country.ObjectiveTo know the factors associated with death in patients with necrotising enterocolitis.Material and methodsRetrospective, descriptive, comparative study with a case–control design was conducted on patients with necrotising enterocolitis during a 5-year period.ResultsDeceased patients had significantly lower platelet counts compared to survivors (p=0.022) and the prognostic factors associated with mortality were anaemia (p=0.006, OR=15.62), stage III of necrotising enterocolitis (p<0.001, OR=47.5), to require surgical treatment (p<0.001, OR=47.5), to have intestinal necrosis (p=0.001, OR=48.5) or perforation (p=0.016, OR=24.25), to have medical complications, specifically intravascular disseminated coagulation (p<0.001, RR=98), and multi-organ failure (p<0.001, RR=2). It was also found that patients with gastrointestinal symptoms and diagnosis of necrotising enterocolitis when they were hospitalized were more likely to have surgical treatment.ConclusionsWe must be aware of the factors associated with mortality, as well as those associated with surgical treatment to reduce overall mortality for this condition