Clinico-Epidemiological Analysis of Small Bowel Obstruction in Adults at a Tertiary Care Center in India.

Abstract

Acute small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a common surgical emergency.The study aims to provide a comprehensive clinical-epidemiological description of SBO in adults at a tertiary care center in western India. Thishospital-based cross-sectionalstudy was conducted from July 2020 to June 2022 and enrolled88SBO patients requiring surgical intervention. After adequately resuscitating the patients, various surgical procedures were performed based on the intraoperative conditions of the bowel. Patients were assessedpostoperativelyfor the duration of their hospital stay, postoperative complications, and surgical recovery. There was amalepreponderance (n=55), with a median age of 50 (18-90) years. Abdominal discomfort was the most frequent symptom, necessitating a hospital visit (97.9%, n= 86), followed by nausea (85.2%, n= 75), constipation (78.1%, n=69), and abdominal distension (51.1%, n=45). Ileal strictures (18.2%, n=16) were the most common etiology,followed by postoperative adhesions (14.8%, n=13) and bands (13.6%, n=12), of which 76.4% (n=9) had past surgical history. Resection and anastomosis were the most frequently performed surgical interventions in this study (36.4%, n=32), followed by stoma creation (27.3%, n=24) and adhesiolysis (17%, n=15). The postoperative 30-day mortality of 11.36% (n=10) was noted, which could be ascribed to the elderly population with comorbidity, postoperative complications, and who required extended stay in the critical care unit. Benign ileal stricture was the most common cause of acute SBO in the emergency. Prompt and timely diagnosis combined with a multidisciplinary approach and effective management can improve outcomes and reduce morbidity and mortality in adult patients with SBO.