EP.FRI.398 Diverticular Disease Patient Presenting with Acute Abdominal Pain, Guidelines and Management

Abstract

Abstract Aim Diverticular disease of the sigmoid colon is a common condition in Western society, 10-25% will develop an acute episode of diverticulitis, Since Hinchey’s traditional classification for perforated diverticulitis in 1978, several modifications and new grading systems have been presented to display a more contemporary overview of the disease Methods 100 patients diagnosed with acute diverticulitis admitted to the surgical unit in NMUH starting from 1/1/2019 (the first 100 patients were chosen - they attended over a period of 6 months) Data were checked for all patients from the patients' notes and electronic hospital systems for as compared to the: “Acute Diverticulitis Management Algorithm”, provided on the NMUH intranet since April 2015. Results 10% of patients Had pain and tenderness in an abdominal quadrant other than left iliac fossa. Standard investigations including WCC, CRP & erect chest radiograph were done to all patients. 84% of patients were diagnosed with CT scan while the rest were diagnosed clinically. 96% of patients had colonoscopy appointments while 4% had CT colonography appointments. There was no mention of Hinchey grade, despite cases were managed according to this classification. Conclusions There was a good degree of commitment to the management algorithm in some parts, like blood tests and antibiotic prescription, however other parts were not adhered to like the Hinchey's classification documentation for each case. There is a need for more clinical and management related classification system of acute diverticulitis, some classifications were proposed.