Necrotising enterocolitis in small bowel atresia.

A retrospective study of 76 infants with small bowel atresia treated in two neonatal surgical units between 1970 and 1979 is presented. The overall survival rate was 75% and there was no significant difference between the two centres. The mortality rose according to the number of atresias and the distance of the first atresia from the ileo-caecal valve. The 19 deaths were classified as inevitable or avoidable. Of the latter group, 5 out of 14 deaths were due to neonatal necrotising enterocolitis, and the remainder to respiratory problems associated with prematurity or to surgical complications producing peritonitis and septicaemia.