The pattern and outcome of surgical acute abdomen at a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Abstract

Background: Surgical acute abdomen is one of the most common causes of admission into the surgical emergency room. It is a sudden onset of abdominal disease condition which requires immediate surgical evaluation and intervention. Aim: This study aims to determine the pattern and outcome in surgical acute abdomen. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective descriptive study carried out at University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City over 1 year between September 2009 and August 2010. Consecutive patients aged 18 years and above with a diagnosis of surgical acute abdomen formed the study sample. Surgical acute abdomen caused by gynecological and urological problems were excluded from the study. A data form was opened for all patients on admission. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were recruited. Data collated from the patients were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results: One hundred and eighty-six patients who met the inclusion criteria were recruited. There were 99 males and 87 females with male to female ratio of 1.1:1. The mean age of the patients was 36.60 ± 16.74 years with the age range of 18–92 years. Acute appendicitis confirmed on histopathology in 71 patients was the most common cause of surgical acute abdomen in the study. One hundred and seventy-four patients were treated and discharged while 12 patients died. The overall mortality rate was 6.5%. Conclusion: This study has shown that acute appendicitis is the most common cause of surgical acute abdomen at the University of Benin Teaching hospital, Benin City, and the 21–30 years of age group was most commonly affected.