SynthesisBMJ open2023
Age of onset of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) and focal intestinal perforation (FIP) in very preterm and low birthweight infants: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Clinical Characteristics of Necrotizing Enterocolitis Diagnosed by Independent Adjudication of Abdominal Radiographs, Laparotomy, or Autopsy in Preterm Infants in the "Connection Trial".American journal of perinatology · 2025Trial
- Two faces of necrotizing enterocolitis: early and late-onset disease in preterm infants.Pediatric surgery international · 2026Article
- Supplementary parenteral arginine corrects hypoargininaemia and rebalances plasma amino acid profiles in very preterm infants receiving parenteral nutrition: A prospective study.Nutrition in clinical practice : official publication of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition · 2026Article
- Association between initial empirical antibiotic therapy and necrotizing enterocolitis in very preterm infants at different risk for early-onset sepsis: a multicenter cohort study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Observational
- Refining microbiome resolution: KoSCAPEGut microbes · 2025Article
- Protection against experimental necrotizing enterocolitis by fecal filtrate transfer requires an active donor virome.Gut microbes · 2025Article
- Risk Factors and Predictive Parameters of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm Infants-A Single-Center Retrospective Study.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Meconium obstruction of prematurity in tiny babies - towards developing an international consensus.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2025Review
- Description of probiotic use in preterm infants in England and Wales 2016-2022.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Observational
- Impact of Neighborhood Disadvantage on Gastrointestinal Morbidity in Extremely Low Birthweight Infants.Cureus · 2025Article
- Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Hematological Parameters in Necrotizing Enterocolitis: A Systematic Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Effect of chorioamnionitis on necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants: a multicenter cohort study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Article
- Nutritional management after necrotizing enterocolitis and focal intestinal perforation in preterm infants.Pediatric research · 2024Review
- Machine learning-based analysis for prediction of surgical necrotizing enterocolitis in very low birth weight infants using perinatal factors: a nationwide cohort study.European journal of pediatrics · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveReview of age of onset of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) and focal intestinal perforation (FIP) in very preterm (≤32 weeks) and/or very low birthweight (VLBW, ≤1500 g) infants.
designPreregistered review undertaken according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses in July 2021 and updated October 2021. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE/ PubMed, Embase, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. ELIGIBILITY: Eligible studies reported age of onset of NEC and/or FIP in randomised controlled trials of >200 or observational studies of >500 infants. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Titles/abstracts were screened; eligible articles underwent data extraction. Age of onset as day of life (DOL) and/or corrected gestational age (CGA) were extracted alongside study information, such as NEC definition, included population, intervention, location and dates studied. Weighted means were used to compare onset by birth gestation, study type, NEC definition, trial intervention, location and dates studied. Comparison was done by Mann-Whitney U test or one-way analysis of variance.
resultsOf the 747 screened studies 188 were eligible. Removal of duplicates, studies without onset data and ineligible populations left 10 RCTs and 14 observational studies contributing 51 NEC cohorts; 49 reported onset DOL and 14 CGA. 2984 cases of NEC had average DOL onset of 16.7 (15.5 in RCTs, 16.9 in observational studies), and CGA onset of 30.1 weeks. Gestation did not impact DOL onset. No other demographic feature impacted NEC onset. Few studies included data on FIP.
conclusionsAverage onset of NEC in exclusively very preterm/very low birthweight infants is in the third week of life and unlike in cohorts including more mature or heavier infants is not impacted by birth gestation.
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