At delivery, K.A. was intubated, given surfactant and was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Apgar scores were four at 1 minute and six at 5 minutes of age. K.A’s initial NICU course was unremarkable. He was extubated and transitioned to continuous positive airway pressure on day 3 and was successfully treated for a patent ductus arteriosus with course of ibuprofen. On day 36, he was evaluated by cardiology for an arrhythmia felt to be Mobitz type I, which was not hemodynamically significant. He was maintained on contact precautions as he was colonized with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Cranial ultrasounds for K.A. transitioned to room air on day 43, was stable on full feeds, and growing well unit day 48.
On day 48, K.A.become ill with apnea that progressed to respiratory failure. He also had bilious emesis and abdominal distention. An abdominal x-ray revealed frank pneumotosis. He was emergently transferred from his birth hospital to the operating room at our institution for an exploratoty lapalotomy. Exploration revealed necrotizing enterocolitis with necrosis of the ileocecal valve, ascending colon and appendix with perforation at the cecum. Fifteen centimiters of bowel was resected with the creation of the terminal ileostomy. He returned with the NICU at his birth hospital postopertively which is adjacent to our facility to be closer to his family. He remained ill during his postoperative course with hemodynamic instability and worsening respiratory failure. K.A. was placed on high frequency oscillating ventilation (HFOV) and was treated for disseminated intravascular coagulopathy.