Outcome of very premature infants with necrotising enterocolitis cared for in centres with or without on site surgical facilities.

M Loh, D A Osborn, K Lui, NSW Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Study (NICUS) group

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMulticenter Study

In one paragraph

Article in Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition, 2001. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it

2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

Association between transfer for surgery and mortality and disability among neonates in high income countries-A systematic review with meta-analysis.PloS one · 2025
Pooled it
Indocyanine green fluorescence in second-look surgery for necrotizing enterocolitis: enhancing the surgeon's perception.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025
Article
Surgical necrotizing enterocolitis.Seminars in perinatology · 2017
Review
Does hospital transfer predict mortality in very low birth weight infants requiring surgery for necrotizing enterocolitis?Surgery · 2012
Article
Necrotizing enterocolitis risk: state of the science.Advances in neonatal care : official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses · 2012
Review
Outcome following patent ductus arteriosus ligation in premature infants: a retrospective cohort analysis.BMC pediatrics · 2006
Article
The role of platelet activating factor in a neonatal piglet model of necrotising enterocolitis.Gut · 2004
Article
Necrotizing enterocolitis and gastrointestinal complications after indomethacin therapy and surgical ligation in premature infants with patent ductus arteriosus.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2003
Article

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

M LohRoyal Hospital for Women, Randwick, NSW, Australia.

D A Osborn

K Lui

NSW Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Study (NICUS) group

Prince of Wales Hospital · AURoyal Hospital for Women · AUUNSW Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo determine if the presence of a neonatal surgical facility on site has any effect on mortality and morbidity of very premature infants with necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). DESIGN AND

settingRetrospective review of infants of less than 29 weeks gestation cared for in the seven perinatal centres in New South Wales. PATIENTS: Between 1992 and 1997, 605 infants were cared for in two centres with in house surgical facilities (group 1) and 1195 in five centres where transfers were required for surgical management (group 2).

resultsAlthough use of antenatal steroids was significantly lower in group 1 centres than group 2 centres (74% v. 85% respectively), and the incidence of hyaline membrane disease, pneumothorax, and NEC was higher, mortality was identical (27%). Fifty two (9%) infants in group 1 and 72 (6%) in group 2 of comparable perinatal characteristics and CRIB (Clinical Risk Index for Babies) scores developed radiologically or pathologically proven NEC. The overall mortality of infants with NEC in group 1 was lower but this was not statistically significant (27% v. 35%). Significantly more infants with NEC in group 1 had surgery (69% v. 39%). There were fewer postoperative deaths in group 1 and more deaths without surgery in group 2. The duration of respiratory and nutritional support and hospital stay for the survivors were similar in the two groups. In a multivariate analysis, shorter gestation was the only factor associated with mortality in infants with NEC; the presence of in house surgical facilities was not.

conclusionsThere were no significant differences in outcome of premature infants with NEC managed in perinatal centres with or without on site surgical facilities. Early transfers should be encouraged. This finding may have implications for future planning of facilities for neonatal care.

Indexed as

Enterocolitis, NecrotizingFemaleGeneral SurgeryHumansInfant MortalityInfant, NewbornInfant, PrematureInfant, Premature, DiseasesInfant, Very Low Birth WeightIntensive Care, NeonatalMaleMorbidityMultivariate AnalysisNew South WalesPatient TransferRetrospective Studies

Identifiers

PMID11517205

DOI10.1136/fn.85.2.f114

PMCPMC1721305

OpenAlexW2101502356

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.