Evaluation of Gastrointestinal Perforations in Newborns:A Single Center Experience

Introduction: Gastrointestinal perforations (GIPs) are problems with high mortality in the neonatal period. In the present\rstudy, the purpose was to share our experiences on GIPs in the neonatal period.\rMethods: A total of 28 patients who were followed up and treated in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit between 2005 and\r2020 were evaluated retrospectively with risk factors, characteristics, clinical and laboratory findings, and mortality rates.\rResults: There were a total of 16 male (57.1%) and 12 female (42.9%) patients 15 of whom were (53.6%) preterm, 13 (46.4%)\rwere term. The mean birth weight was 2162±855 g. The most common cause of perforation was necrotizing enterocolitis\rwith 16 cases. Perforation sides were jejunoileal in 17 cases, colon in eight cases, duodenum in two cases, and stomach in\rone case. A total of 12 of the cases (42.8%) were lost due to perforation. Statistically significant relations were detected between\rbirth weight and gestational age and mortality.\rDiscussion and Conclusion: GIPs appear as an important reason for mortality during the neonatal period. It is important to\rbe careful because of perforation-related mortality in infants with low birth weight and low gestational age.