Centre for Preterm Birth Studies: Preterm Birth

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Withholding Feeds during Blood Transfusion and Risk of Transfusion Associated Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Category

Preterm Birth

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Database

Details

Lead: Eugene Ng

This is a hospital record review of premature infants less than 32 weeks’ gestation or with birth weight less than 1500grams admitted to one of the three tertiary care neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in Toronto (Sunnybrook, Mount Sinai Hospital, the Hospital for Sick Children) between 2006-2014, and who developed necrotizing entercolitis (NEC), a devastating intestinal disease in premature infants. The practice of withholding feeding (NPO) around the time of blood transfusion to avoid NEC has been implemented in all three NICUs in 2011. This study aimed at comparing the incidence of NEC over the periods before and after the practice change to see it would reduce the occurrence of NEC.