A review of necrotising enterocolitis in very low birth weight babies in a tertiary hospital in Johannesburg

Introduction: Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common gastrointestinal complication in pre-mature infants. There are risk factors and modifying factors that have been identified and studied over the years, but not many studies have been conducted in middle-income countries. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to describe the maternal, obstetric and neonatal characteristics in very low birth weight (VLBW) babies with NEC in a tertiary neonatal unit in South Africa. The survival to hospital discharge in VLBW babies with NEC was also determined. Materials and Methods: This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study of VLBW babies admitted to a tertiary neonatal unit between January 2013 and December 2017. The population comprised babies