A study the profile of pathological disorders resulting in acute abdominal non-traumatic surgical emergencies in a tertiary care hospital, North India

Abstract

Background: Acute abdomen has a sudden onset, can persist for several hours to days and is associated with wide variety of clinical features requiring evaluation and treatment. The present study has been done to establish the etiopathological details and diagnostic verification of the patients presenting with non-traumatic pain in abdomen. Also, the management and admitted care of non-traumatic abdominal surgical emergencies and their outcome has been discussed.Methods: A prospective observational study was done in Rohilkhand Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) during November 2015 to October 2016. The study includes acute abdominal non-traumatic surgical emergencies presenting in general surgery department. All the data were analyzed through SPSS 22.Results: A total of 182 patients were included in the study. The most common complaint among patients was pain in abdomen followed by constipation and vomiting. The most common cases were intestinal perforation (57%) followed by acute appendicitis (14.89%), acute pancreatitis (9.34%), acute intestinal obstruction (9.34%) and others. Most common treatment modalities applied were Exploratory Laparotomy with true Graham’s patch repair (30.22%), non-operative/conservative treatment (26.92%) and Exploratory Laparotomy with ileostomy (13.19%). Total 13 cases (7.14%) expired (all post-operatively) and 8 cases (4.39%) developed major complications.Conclusions: The clinical course and outcome of acute abdominal emergencies in present study showed that a judicious and careful use of clinical evaluation with high index of suspicion along with radiological and biochemical findings help to reach a diagnosis based on which the appropriate management strategy ensures good outcome.