NECROTIZING ENTEROCOLITIS. PATHOGENESIS, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

1. Introduction: Necrotizing Enterocolitis, The Stories of Its Tiny Patients, and the Journey Ahead
2. Nursing Considerations in Necrotizing Enterocolitis: Management of Infant Stomas
3. Nursing Considerations in Necrotizing Enterocolitis: Management of Central Venous Catheters
4. An Updated Overview of the Medical Management of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
5. Clinical Clues, Biochemical Indices, and Biomarkers: Diagnostic Considerations in Necrotizing Enterocolitis
6. Imaging Considerations in NEC Diagnosis: Plain Films, Ultrasound, and Everything Else
7. Spontaneous Intestinal Perforation (SIP) Is Not Necrotizing Enterocolitis but Remains the Major Confounder of NEC Data
8. International Practice Patterns in NEC Management: North America, Europe, and Australasia
9. Feeding Strategies in the Patient with Necrotizing Enterocolitis
10. Surgery for Necrotizing Enterocolitis: Indications, Techniques, and Outcomes
11. Major Issues Related to Progress in NEC
12. Probiotics in the Prevention of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
13. Cardiovascular, Hemodynamic, and Critical Care Considerations in the Patient with Necrotizing Enterocolitis
14. Neurodevelopmental Considerations in the Patient with Necrotizing Enterocolitis
15. Lung Disease and Ventilator Strategies in Necrotizing Enterocolitis
16. Clinical Trials in NEC Research: Advances, Perils, and Pitfalls
17. Management of Short Bowel Syndrome after Necrotizing Enterocolitis
18. Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Unusual Cases: Term Infants, Congenital Anomalies, and Comorbidities
19. Intestinal Transplantation for Necrotizing Enterocolitis
20. Optical Spectroscopy for the Detection of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
21. Anesthetic Management of the Neonate with Necrotizing Enterocolitis
22. Novel and Alternative Techniques in Surgery for Necrotizing Enterocolitis
23. Supporting NEC Risk Awareness with Bedside Tools Like GutCheckNEC
24. Health Economics and Care Delivery Issues in Necrotizing Enterocolitis
25. Quality Improvement and Necrotizing Enterocolitis
26. Implementation Strategies for Quality Improvement to Avoid Necrotizing Enterocolitis
27. Clinical Outcomes in Children with NEC
28. Contextualizing Necrotizing Enterocolitis within Health Disparities Research
29. Ethical Issues in the Care of Children with Necrotizing Enterocolitis
30. Family Perspective of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
31. The Role of Toll-Like Receptor Signaling in the Pathogenesis of NEC
32. The Role of Growth Factor Signaling in the Development and Treatment of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
33. The Role of Platelet-Activating Factor in the Pathogenesis of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
34. The Role of Vascular Development in the Pathogenesis of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
35. Bile Acids in the Pathogenesis of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
36. Bacterial Communities in the Pathogenesis of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
37. The Importance of Immune Cells in the Pathogenesis of NEC
38. The Role of Nitric Oxide Signaling in the Pathogenesis of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
39. The Silver Lining: The Small Intestinal Epithelial Barrier and Its Role in Necrotizing Enterocolitis
40. Innate and Adaptive Immune Dysfunction and Necrotizing Enterocolitis
41. Intestinal Immune Adaptation and Necrotizing Enterocolitis
42. Advancements in Research on Necrotizing Enterocolitis Pathogenesis and Prevention Using Pigs
43. Small Animal Models for the Study of Necrotizing Enterocolitis and "NEC-in-a-Dish"
44. Nutritional Considerations in Necrotizing Enterocolitis
45. The Paneth Cell and Its Role in the Development of NEC
46. Human Donor Milk and Necrotizing Enterocolitis
47. The Genetic Basis of NEC Susceptibility
48. Anemia as a Modifiable Risk Factor for NEC
49. Lipids and Lipid Metabolism in Postnatal Gut Development and Risk of Intestinal Injury
50. Machine Learning in Necrotizing Enterocolitis: Challenges and Opportunities
51. Necrotizing Enterocolitis Risk from a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Perspective
52. Future Directions and Research Opportunities in NEC: The Top Ten Unanswered Questions and Top Five Areas of Research Focus
Index

This is the first textbook devoted entirely to understanding and treating necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), one of the leading causes of death and disability in premature infants. NEC continues to occur in neonatal units across the world, and the overall mortality has remained stubbornly high since its first description decades ago. Despite significant research into NEC, and a greater understanding of its underlying causes, there is no single source of information to which the care team can turn for guidance. This book fills that important gap in clinical care.
In selecting the topics for this inaugural textbook, three guiding principles have been followed. First, to include chapters that provide detailed information for the medical team – the doctors and nurses, the therapists and pharmacists, the chaplains and the child life workers – so that each team member can optimally recognize, prevent and treat patients with this disease. Second, to ensure that chapters cover the depth and breadth of the latest clinical and scientific research into NEC, each selected to identify specific preventative strategies or therapies for this disease. Third, and perhaps most importantly, to focus not only on the child with NEC, but also on the child’s family, in order to provide comprehensive information about a disease that families have barely heard about, until the jarring day when their precious infant is affected by it.
This book therefore:
• serves as a "how-to guide" for the care of the infant with NEC
• summarises critical new research and offers guidelines for future key research areas
• addresses the complex and difficult issues surrounding care of the critically ill infant suffering from NEC

Written for the entire health care team including paediatric surgeons, neonatologists, developmental paediatricians, epidemiologists, ethicists, child life professionals, therapists and specialist nurses, each team member will find this book of value. This book was written to demystify this cruel disease, and to unlock its closely held secrets of pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.