RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Necrotizing enterocolitis is the most frequent and severe acquired gastrointestinal disease in newborns and still has high mortality. There are few published papers about prognostic factors of death in our country. OBJECTIVE: To know the factors associated with death in patients with necrotizing enterocolitis. METHODS: Retrospective, descriptive, comparative study with a case-control design was conducted on patients with necrotizing enterocolitis during a 5-year period. RESULTS: Deceased patients had significantly lower platelet counts compared to survivors (P=0.022) and the prognostic factors associated with mortality were anaemia (P=0.006, OR = 15.62), stage III of necrotizing enterocolitis (P<0.001, OR = 47.5), to require surgical treatment (P<0.001, OR = 47.5), to have intestinal necrosis (P=0.001, OR = 48.5) or perforation (P=0.016, OR =24.25), to have medical complications, specifically intravascular disseminated coagulation (P<.001, RR = 98), and multi-organ failure (P<0.001, RR = 2). It was also found that patients with gastrointestinal symptoms and diagnosis of necrotising enterocolitis when they were hospitalized were more likely to have surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We must be aware of the factors associated with mortality, as well as those associated with surgical treatment to reduce overall mortality for this condition.