Necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm newborn with a history of maternal COVID-19: a case report

Radiol Case Rep. 2022 May 28;17(8):2630-2634. doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2022.04.056. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Abstract

A 6-day-old newborn male presented with a primary complaint of abdominal distension for 3 days before hospital admission. The newborn was delivered from a confirmed COVID-19-positive mother through caesarean section at 38-39 weeks with a birth weight of 2800 grams. Various tests, including blood tests, cultures, and radiography were performed. The patient was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis and sepsis; the prevalence of necrotizing enterocolitis in at-term newborns with >36 weeks of gestational age is 10%. In this case, NEC was suggested to be due to maternal infection during the prenatal phase, as the mother was a confirmed COVID-19 patient. Further exploration is needed to illustrate neonatal outcomes following necrotizing enterocolitis diagnosis in correlation with maternal intrauterine COVID-19 infection.

Keywords: COVID-19; Klebsiella pneumoniae; NEC; Sepsis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports