For the 49th episode on the Empowering NICU Parents’ Podcast, we review necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) which is a life-threatening newborn condition that involves ischemia and inflammation of the bowel. Necrotizing Enterocolitis is a complex disease that despite decades of research, is still not well understood. The evidence continues to support the concurrent presence of several factors that when combined with a trigger, may lead to a disruption of the normal intestinal bacterial flora followed by an altered inflammatory host response.

On this episode, you will learn what factors place infants, especially premature infants, at an increased risk to develop NEC. The common clinical symptoms that infants present with once they develop NEC will be reviewed as well as when they are most likely to occur. Additionally, we touch on some of the subtle behavioral changes infants may display at the onset of the disease that are often most obvious to the parents. Next, the diagnostic tests and labs that are typically done once NEC is suspected will be reviewed followed by a description of the Bell staging system which is used to provide a more uniform clinical definition for NEC. The typical management for NEC will also be discussed, followed by a review of some of the common preventative measures that have been put into place in NICUs today to continue to decrease the incidence of NEC. We close out the episode discussing what the prognosis and mortality rate is for infants who have been diagnosed with NEC.

The episode is a great overall review of NEC that will be beneficial for NICU parents and clinicians. Start listening now and get ready to be empowered!

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