Outcomes of Necrotising Enterocolitis

Necrotising enterocolitis remains a great scourge of neonatal intensive care units. Despite decades of research and significant improvements in neonatal care, outcomes following NEC are essentially unchanged. Overall, approximate one in four neonates who contract NEC (Bell stage IIa or higher) will not survive. The mortality of infants who require surgical intervention for NEC is around 30%, rising to over 50% in the most premature infants with surgical disease. Survivors often have significant neurodevelopmental disability with widely ranging reported rates. The true prevalence of severe disability following NEC is likely to be around a third. Similarly there is a high incidence of intestinal failure. A significant minority of infants who have surgery for NEC will still require parenteral nutrition 3 months later and some will need it long-term. The outcomes of NEC remain poor. Undoubtedly, better treatments for NEC are desperately needed.