pattern of acute intestinal obstruction in Egypt

ABSTRACT

A total of 251 patients admitted to casualty unit of Kasr El-Aini Hospitals through one year were studied. Their ages ranged from 3 days to 81 years. They were 167 males and 84 females with male to female ratio of 1.98 1. The commonest age groups affected were the adults [38.64%] and infants [29.48%], with a relatively similar rate of affection of the cases below one year [38.24%], and those between 15 to 65 years [38.46%]. The main causes intestinal obstruction were the complicated hernia [49%], intussusception [25.89%] and adhesive intestinal obstruction [8.36%]. Detailed prescription of the different forms was mentioned. It was found that out of 251 cases, 240 patients patients [95.65%] were treated surgically, of which 32 cases [12.74] needed resection anastomosis. Gangrene of the bowel and omentum was found in 27 cases [10.8%] and showed good correlation with late presentation, rising temperature, faeculent vomiting, tenderness and rebound tenderness. Morbidity was encountered in 31 cases [12.35%] of which the main complications were chest infection [70.96%] and wound infection [19.35%]. Similarly out of the 14 mortalities [5.57%] met with, 9 deaths [64.28%] were due to severe uncontrolled chest infection and 3 deaths [21.42%] due to fluid and electrolyte imbalance