ABSTRACT
Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
is the most common and fatal gastrointestinal disease encountered in the
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Several case reports have shown an association
between supraventricular tachycardia and necrotizing enterocolitis. This study
aimed to determine the association between supraventricular tachycardia and
necrotizing enterocolitis. Methods: This study was conducted from April
1st, 2016 to March 31st, 2022, at the Department of
Pediatrics, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Hubei, China. The records of
74 subjects with the diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) were obtained
from the hospital’s medical data records. Consequently, 74 gender, gestational
age, and birth weight-matched controls (babies without NEC) were recruited as
controls. Results: Of the 74 cases, 47.3% of the cases were males, and
52.7% were females. Regarding the birth weight and gestational age, 77% of the
cases had low birth weight (LBW) and 86.5% were premature. In terms of Apgar
score, 93.2% of NEC cases had an Apgar score of >7 at five minutes. The
median values of white blood cells, platelets, and hemoglobin of cases were
10.90 (8.09, 13.80), 227 (169.75, 295.50), and 155.6 (130.53, 170.95), respectively. No Association between supraventricular tachycardia and
necrotizing enterocolitis (P = 1.00). Conclusion: No association between
necrotizing enterocolitis and supraventricular tachycardia was found. Further
multicenter-based studies examining whether there is a potential relationship exists
between supraventricular tachycardia and the development of necrotizing
enterocolitis are required.