ABSTRACT
Background: An emergency laparotomy is a commonly performed operation by general surgeons where the abdomen is opened and the abdominal organs examined for any injury or disease. A few major indications for an emergency laparotomy are perforation peritonitis, acute intestinal obstruction, burst appendix and blunt or penetrating abdominal injuries either due to roadside accidents, fall from height or gun shot or stab injuries. The study aims to see the causative organism of wound infection and prevent misuse of antibiotics in infected wounds following emergency laparotomy.Material & Methods:This observational study was carried out in the Department of Surgery, Khulna Medical College, Khulna from July 2008 to June 2009. A total of 58 specimens consisting of wound swabs, pus, purulent exudates or wound discharge were collected from patients who had emergency laparotomy at Khulna Medical College.Results:Out of 58 patients with abdominal operation developed wound infection following emergency laparotomy, 14 cases were ileal perforation, 19 cases were duodenal ulcer perforation, and 9 cases were sigmoid volvulus, and F13 cases were small intestinal obstruction and 3 were blunt abdominal trauma. Among 58 postoperative abdominal wound infected cases all require antibiotics and regular dressing 60.34% require a secondary stitch 25.86% require no secondary stitch and 13.79% required wound excision with a secondary stitch.Conclusions:Postoperative complications are more common after emergency laparotomies compared to elective laparotomies. Maximum complications were found in patients with delayed presentation or in patients having any associated co-morbidities. Therefore, early detection and immediate intervention with better postoperative care can minimize postoperative complications. The present study suggests that proper awareness among rural populations, adequate health education to seek prompt medical aid, a good referral and efficient transportation can reduce the delayed presentation which in turn will prevent postoperative complications following emergency laparotomy.
ABSTRACT
Background: Peptic ulcer disease is a global burden of disease associated with potentially life-threatening complications, including bleeding, perforation and obstruction. Perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) is a frequent emergency condition worldwide with associated morbidity and mortality. Variations in the clinical presentation, as well as delay in diagnosis and work-up at admission to the hospital, may potentially cause a worsening of symptoms and a deterioration of the clinical condition, with a detrimental outcome. Therefore, accurate and early identification of high-risk surgical patients with perforated peptic ulcers (PPUs) is important for triage and risk stratification. Currently, the ASA score and the Boey score are the most frequently used prognostic scoring systems in patients with PPU. Yet, the ASA score is a general surgical risk score not intended for PPU patients in particular. Moreover, the external validation of the Boey score is uncertain. PULP score appears to have the greatest predictability of the outcome of perforated PUD. Aim of the study: The objective of the study was to evaluate the role of the PULP score in the prediction of outcomes in patients with a perforated ulcer.Material & Methods:It is an observational cross-sectional study, carried out in the Department of Surgery, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka. Ethical approval was obtained from the Dhaka Medical College ethical review board. Patients aged 18 to 60 years admitted to the emergency department with a clinical diagnosis of perforated peptic ulcer disease, confirmed by different investigation modalities, e.g, imaging, sonography, laboratory test, etc were enrolled in the study. The data regarding sociodemographic, clinical, biochemical, radiological and surgical profiles were recorded. The operation was done by upper midline incision under general anesthesia. A modified Graham’s patch technique was used to repair the duodenal ulcer. Postoperative follow up was conducted meticulously. Patient outcome was assessed during their hospital stay and then OPD follow-up or by telephone interviews up to 30 days after the intervention. All the information is recorded in the data collection sheet. All collected questionnaires were checked very carefully to identify the error in the data. Data processing work consisted of registration schedules, editing computerization, preparation of dummy tables, and analyzing and matching data. Data was processed and analysed with the help of the computer program SPSS and Microsoft excel. Quantitative data are expressed as mean and standard deviation and qualitative data as frequency and percentage. The comparison was done by tabulation and graphical presentation in the form of tables, pie charts, graphs, bar diagrams, histograms &charts etc.Results:Present study demonstrates that the maximum number of patients (43.0%) was between 51-60 years of age group, mean age of the patient was 49.35 ± 11.7 years. The male and female ratio was 3.54:1. Maximum (57%) patients came from urban, (36%) rural and (7%) urban non-slum areas. In this study, the most common signs were tachycardia (100%), abdominal tenderness (100%), abdominal rigidity (100%), absence of vowel sound (86.2%), and obliteration of liver dullness (78.7%), dehydration (67.5%). The time lapse between the onset of symptoms and admission to the hospital varied from 4 hours to 4 days. Most of the patients (76.0%) were admitted after 24 hours. In this study, PULP score was assessed according to the operational definition of optimal cut-off point 7, below this considered as low-risk patients. in this study 85% were 0-7 PULP scores and 15% were PULP scores 8-18. Patients’ condition after proper treatment, symptoms, degree of abnormalities or dependence on the daily physiological activity and the clinical outcome had evaluated and measured by follow up and close monitoring. The study shows that 69.0% of the patients recovered completely, but 24.0% of patients had developed complications. The mortality rate in this study was 7.0%. Finally, a correlation of the PULP score with mortality of perforated PUD was carried out. Among the 7 expired cases the, PULP score was correlated with 6 cases like high risk. In 93 cases of recovered, the PULP score was predicted in 84 cases as low risk. So the effectiveness of PULP has proven significant in the prediction of mortality in perforated PUD patients. The Sensitivity and Specificity of the Peptic Ulcer Perforation (PULP) score was 85.7% and 90.3% respectively. Similarly, the positive predictive value and accuracy rate for the same was 40.0% and 90.0% respectively.Conclusion: Patients with perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) often present with acute, severe illness that carries a high risk for morbidity and mortality. Several prognostic scoring systems have been suggested to identify high-risk surgical patients with perforated peptic ulcers accurately and early. The present study demonstrates that the PULP score can be used to predict 30-day mortality accurately in patients operated for PPU. The prognostic predictors included in the PULP score can be readily identified prior to surgery. The PULP score can assist in the accurate and early identification of high-risk patients with PPU.