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The delayed onset of intestinal function in children with gastroschisis may be because of the injurious effects of amniotic fluid on the exposed bowel. This has led to consideration of early delivery to minimize intestinal damage and improve outcome, although this has not been carefully evaluated. The authors hypothesized that timing of delivery influences outcome in children with gastroschisis, and sought to evaluate the relative impact of factors that predict outcome in this disease.

All consecutive patients with gastroschisis (1992-2002) were divided into those delivered before (“early”) or after (“late”) 36 weeks. Bowel peel was described as “thin” or “thick,” based on operative reports. Individual measures were analyzed by univariate analyses (χ²/Student's t test), and logistic regression was used to identify significant factors for the length of stay (LOS) longer than the population average of …