The Age of Necrotizing Enterocolitis Onset: an Application of Sartwell's Incubation Period Model

Overview

Journal J Perinatol

Specialty Gynecology & Obstetrics

Date 2011 Jan 29

PMID 21273988

Citations 29

Authors

R Gonzalez-Rivera

R C Culverhouse

A Hamvas

P I Tarr

B B Warner

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Model age of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) onset applying Sartwell's model of incubation periods, and examine its relationship to gestational age (GA).

Study Design: Retrospective chart review of St Louis Children's Hospital neonates diagnosed with NEC (≥Bell's stage II) from 2004 to 2008, inclusive.

Result: The relationship between age of NEC (N=84 cases) onset and GA best fits a non-linear model, with infants ≤28 weeks having a disproportionately longer time to onset than older GA groups and explained 50.3% of the variability in age of NEC onset. Additional clinical variables provided no improvement in explaining age of NEC onset. Application of Sartwell's model to age of NEC onset proved a good fit, when birth is used as the common exposure episode, and age is equivalent of the incubation period.

Conclusion: The relationship between day of NEC diagnosis and GA is non-linear, with lower GA infants having disproportionately longer time to onset. Despite these GA differences, the fit to Sartwell's model for incubation periods model is consistent with NEC being a consequence of an event that occurs at or soon after birth.

Citing Articles

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