Neonatal Gastric Perforation: 14-Year Experience from a Tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Objective Neonatal gastric perforations (NGPs) are rare and account for 7 to 12% of all gastrointestinal perforations in the neonatal period. The etiology and prognostic factors associated with NGP remain unclear. The aim of this study is to review the cases of NGP in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the past 14 years and describe the risk factors, clinical presentation, and outcomes associated with it. Study Design A retrospective chart review of neonates with gastric perforation admitted to the NICU between June 2006 and December 2020 was performed. Data regarding their antenatal and neonatal characteristics, laboratory and radiological results, intra-operative findings, hospital course, and outcomes were recorded. Results We identified 350 patients with gastrointestinal perforation at our center during the study period of which 14 (4%; nine males and five females) patients were diagnosed with NGP during surgery. A total of 71% neonates were born preterm (range: 24–39 weeks, median: 34 weeks). Two neonates (14%) were SGA. Only one neonate received cardiopulmonary resuscitation at birth. In all neonates, except two, perforation occurred within the first 10 days of life (median: 4 days, range: 1–22 days). In total, 79% infants received feeds prior to perforation. Ten neonates had a feeding tube, and one neonate had a gastrostomy tube placed prior to perforation. Abdominal distension and pneumoperitoneum were present in all neonates. Majority of the babies had metabolic acidosis (64%) and elevated C-reactive protein (79%). Most (86%) neonates received surgical intervention within 12 hours. Overall survival in our study was 93%. Conclusion NGP is a rare entity seen mostly in preterm infants within the first 10 days of life. Clinical presentation is similar to perforation anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract and definite diagnosis requires exploratory laparotomy. With prompt recognition and surgical intervention, the overall mortality related to neonatal gastric perforation is low. Key Points

Risk Factors for Mortality in Neonatal Gastric Perforation: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Neonatal gastric perforation is a rare but life-threatening issue. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with neonatal gastric perforation and identify predictive factors for poor prognosis.Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with neonatal gastric perforation treated in a tertiary pediatric public hospital between April 2009 and October 2020. The enrolled patients were divided into survival and non-survival groups. Demographic information, clinical characteristics, laboratory and imaging features, and outcomes were collected from the electronic medical record. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to obtain the independent factors associated with death risk. Additionally, we separated this population into two groups (pre-term and term groups) and explored the mortality predictors of these two groups, respectively.Results: A total of 101 patients with neonatal gastric perforation were included in this study. The overall survival rate was 70.3%. Seventy-one (70.3%) were pre-term neonates, and sixty-two (61.4%) were low-birth-weight neonates. The median age of onset was 3 days (range: 1–11 days). Abdominal distension [98 (97.0%) patients] was the most common symptom, followed by lethargy [78 (77.2%) patients], shortness of breath [60 (59.4%) patients] and vomiting [34 (33.7%) patients]. Three independent mortality risk factors were identified: shock (OR, 3.749; 95% CI, 1.247–11.269; p = 0.019), serum lactic acid > 2.5 mmol/L (5.346; 1.727–16.547; p = 0.004) and platelet count <150 × 109/L (3.510; 1.115–11.053; p = 0.032). There was a borderline significant association between sclerema neonatorum and total mortality (4.827; 0.889–26.220; p = 0.068). In pre-term infants, serum lactic acid > 2.5 mmol/L and platelet count <150 × 109/L remained independent risk factors for death. In term infants, the incidence of shock, coagulopathy, pH < 7.3, serum lactic acid > 2.5 mmol/L, and hyponatremia were statistically different between non-survival and survival groups.Conclusion: Shock, hyperlactatemia, and thrombocytopenia are independently associated with an increased risk of death in patients with neonatal gastric perforation. Identification of modifiable risk factors during the critical periods of life will contribute to the development of effective prevention and intervention strategies of neonatal gastric perforation.

Spontaneous gastric perforation: is it really common?

Background Neonatal gastric perforation (NGP) is a rare, serious, and life-threatening condition which needs early recognition with prompt intervention for better prognosis. Its etiology is not yet well established, but multiple speculations have been put forth for its etiopathogenesis. Few most considered are traumatic, spontaneous, or secondary to inflammatory process like necrotizing enterocolitis. This study describes the etiological and prognostic factors for patients with NGP in our experience at a single center. Results A total of 46 neonates were included. Male gender predominated with M:F being 1.7:1. Most (n=36) neonates presented within 10 days of life whereas 8 neonates presented within 15 days. At presentation, gas under diaphragm was the most common radiologic finding in 25 (54.3%) neonates. On exploratory laparotomy, it was found that greater curvature was involved in maximum number of cases (n=27), followed by lesser curvature and anterior and posterior walls of the stomach. Most of perforations were within 1–5 cm in size. Gastrorrhaphy was done in all cases, and in two cases, feeding jejunostomy was done along with repair for feeding purpose. Finally, spontaneous NGP was diagnosed in 30 (60.8%), and NEC patches on other parts of the intestine were seen in 11 patients. Postoperatively, 28 neonates developed complications in the form of sepsis (n=13), wound infection (n=10), and burst abdomen (n=5). Regarding clinical outcome, 27 (58.7%) were discharged from the hospital whereas 19 (39.3%) patients died. Conclusion Our results show that spontaneous NGP is most commonly associated with NEC in our population, usually affecting the greater curvature. We observed a high mortality rate; however, good ICU care may improve the survival.

Spontaneous neonatal gastric perforation in a very preterm neonate

Gastric perforation in neonates is a rare, serious and life-threatening problem. The precise aetiology is obscure in most cases. By virtue of its high mortality rate, it requires prompt recognition and surgical intervention. We report a case of gastric rupture in a very preterm/very low birth weight neonate with antenatal reversal of flow in umblical artery.

Neonatal gastric perforation: is prematurity the only cause?

Background: Neonatal Gastric Perforation (NGP) is a serious and life-threatening emergency and challenging in terms of diagnosis and management. The precise aetiology remains obscure in most cases. Published literatures provide theories of gastric ischemia, aerophagia & trauma with or without definite inciting pathology. Owing to its high mortality rate, it requires early detection & urgent intervention to bring out the newborn from this catastrophe.Methods: We report five cases of neonatal gastric perforation over period of 2013-2019 admitted to a tertiary paediatric surgical care hospital managed by early detection, prompt resuscitation along with exploration and primary repair of the defect in gastric wall.Results: The common feature in these five cases were preterm age, low birth weight, hypoxic event and marked abdominal distension causing respiratory distress. Features of imminent or complete septic shock were present in all cases. Perforation was found on anterior wall along greater curvature of stomach in all babies. Four babies out of five survived except in one case of jejunoileal Artesia that developed gastric perforation in post operative period.Conclusions: Neonatal gastric perforation should be suspected in cases of rapidly deteriorating premature newborn with gross abdominal distension and pneumoperitoneum. In our opinion, etiology of NGP is multifactorial. Prematurity, low APGAR score with vigorous resuscitation could be a clue for early diagnosis. Good outcome in our series was due to early diagnosis and prompt pre and postoperative measures. Additionally, sterile gastric content in peritoneum might lead to survival from this catastrophic event.