RT Book, Section A1 Patel, Ravi Mangal A1 Neu, Josef A2 Kline, Mark W. SR Print(0) ID 1182921777 T1 Necrotizing Enterocolitis T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 23e YR 2018 FD 2018 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781259588594 LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1182921777 RD 2024/11/08 AB Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious gastrointestinal disease that occurs primarily in preterm infants. The disease is characterized by the rapid onset of intestinal inflammation and, in severe cases, can lead to intestinal necrosis and multiorgan dysfunction that results in death. Since the 1950s, when neonatal intensive care was introduced at many centers around the world with survival of very low–birth-weight (VLBW) infants, NEC has been reported as a complication of premature birth. It remains the most common gastrointestinal complication in preterm infants, and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates, accounting for 10% of deaths in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Reports from the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands indicate that NEC is increasing as a cause of death, as survival from lung disease has improved for preterm infants.