Description of the four NEC cases
| NEC case | Gestational age at birth (weeks+days) | Birth weight (g) | Main cardiac diagnosis | Other significant diagnoses | Preoperative PGE1 | Enteral feeding before cardiac surgery | Age at cardiac surgery (days) | Age at NEC diagnosis (days) |
| 1 | 38+0 | 1716 | ToF | Intrauterine growth restriction | No | Full feeds (breast milk+formula) | 44 | 60 |
| 2 | 39+1 | 2820 | ToF | 22q11 Hypoparathyroidism | Yes | Full feeds (formula) | 11 | 18 |
| 3 | 35+4 | 2750 | TGA | Preterm birth. Complicated coronary anatomy, ventricular septal defect and subvalvular pulmonary stenosis. | Yes, for a few days | Full feeds (formula) | 90 | 91 |
| 4 | 40+0 | 3098 | CoA | VACTERL association, sepsis at birth | Yes | Full feeds (breast milk, no feeds before NEC diagnosis) | 18 | 1 |
.CoA, coarctation of the aorta; NEC, necrotising enterocolitis; PGE1, prostaglandin E1; TGA, transposition of the great arteries; ToF, tetralogy of Fallot; VACTERL, vertebral defects, anal atresia, cardiac defects, tracheo-esophageal fistula, renal anomalies, limb abnormalities.