A clinical study of surgical management of acute intestinal obstruction

Abstract

Background: Mechanical bowel obstruction remains one of the most common intra-abdominal problems faced by general surgeons in their practice and continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality.Methods: This retrospective study was carried out on data obtained from 50 patients who underwent emergency laparotomy for acute intestinal obstruction in Victoria and Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital from January 2016 to December 2016.Results: Adhesions (26%) were found to be the most common cause followed by obstructed hernia (22%). The common age group was 51-60 years. The commonest symptom was abdominal pain followed by vomiting and constipation. The average duration of presentation was 2 days. Strangulation was found in 20% of cases. Mortality rate in the study was 16%.Conclusions: In conclusion, we have found that adhesions are becoming an ever-increasing underlying cause of bowel obstruction. A trend of elective hernia surgery has reduced the number of patients of hernias presenting with obstruction of bowel.