Comparison of infants with and without necrotising enterocolitis
| Clinical features | With NEC (n=28) | Without NEC (n=112) |
|---|---|---|
| Gestational age (weeks) | 28.1 (26.3 to 30.4) | 29.0 (27.7 to 30.9) |
| Birthweight (g) | 1095 (873 to 1348) | 1195 (960 to 1330) |
| Sex (female:male) | 14 (50):14 (50) | 50 (45):62 (55) |
| Inborn:outborn | 26 (93):2 (7) | 109 (97):3 (3) |
| Antenatal corticosteroid treatment | 17 (61) | 78 (70) |
| Mode of delivery | ||
| Vaginal | 18 (64) | 43 (38) |
| Caesarean section | 10 (36) | 66 (59) |
| Ventouse | 0 (0) | 2 (2) |
| Forceps | 0 (0) | 1 (1) |
| Apgar scores | ||
| 1 min < 3 | 5 (18) | 14 (13) |
| 5 min < 3 | 1 (4) | 1 (1) |
| First arterial blood gas after delivery | ||
| pH | 7.37 (7.32 to 7.45) | 7.36 (7.30 to 7.44) |
| Base excess | −2.4 (−5.0 to −0.80) | −2.6 (−5.6 to −0.9) |
| Temperature on admission (°C) | 36.0 (35.8 to 36.8) | 36.2 (35.6 to 36.6) |
| First venous haematocrit after delivery | 0.52 (0.47 to 0.55) | 0.51 (0.45 to 0.57) |
| Lowest mean arterial blood pressure (mm Hg) | 27.5 (22.5 to 31.5) | 27 (22 to 32) |
| Exchange transfusion | 1 (4) | 1 (1) |
| Umbilical arterial catheterisation | 18 (64) | 62 (55) |
| Umbilical venous catheterisation | 24 (86) | 90 (80) |
| Aminophylline treatment | 20 (71) | 57 (51) |
| Respiratory distress syndrome | ||
| Stage 0-2 | 20 (71) | 86 (77) |
| Stage 3-4 | 8 (29) | 26 (23) |
| Periventricular haemorrhage | ||
| Stage < 2 | 26 (93) | 94 (84) |
| Stage 3-4 | 2 (7) | 18 (16) |
| Patent ductus arteriosus | ||
| Indomethacin closure | 15 (54) | 57 (51) |
| Surgical ligation | 2 (7) | 3 (3) |
| Age started on enteral feeds (days) | 6.5 (4 to 14.5) | 6 (4 to 9) |
| Age received full enteral feeds (days) | 36 (23 to 61) | 26 (19 to 37) |
| Type of milk feeds | ||
| Breast | 3 (11) | 17 (15) |
| Formula | 11 (39) | 50 (45) |
| Mixed | 14 (50) | 45 (40) |
| Stool culture (fungus: Gram (−): Gram (+)) | ||
| Before prophylaxis | 0 (0):0 (0):5 (18) | 3 (3):8 (7):20 (18) |
| Immediately after prophylaxis | 4 (14):6 (21):0 (0) | 13 (12):16 (14):3 (3) |
| Four weeks after prophylaxis | 2 (7):6 (21):1 (4) | 3 (3):24 (21):1 (1) |
| Duration of mechanical ventilation (days) | 9.5 (2 to 31) | 6.5 (3 to 16) |
| Duration of O2 dependency (days) | 16 (3.5 to 47.5) | 10 (3 to 34) |
| Duration of hospital stay (days)2-150 | 115 (90 to 144) | 81 (55 to 110) |
| Died2-150 | 9 (32) | 15 (13) |
Continuous variables are expressed in median (interquartile ranges) and proportions in number of patients (%).
↵2-150 p<0.05.