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This is the case of a 52-year-old Indian lady who presented with hematemesis, severe anemia, and an abdominal lump in cardiac failure. On radiographic evaluation, the lesion appeared to be gross circumferential asymmetric proximal gastric wall thickening, with suspicion of gastric lymphoma or tubercular hypertrophic gastritis. After stabilization with multiple transfusions, she underwent proximal D2 gastrectomy with esophago-gastric anastomosis and a total splenectomy. Grossly, the gastric rugae appeared to be hypertrophied and firm. No growth was identified grossly; however, necrotic areas were identified at the distal end. Microscopic examination of multiple sections studied showed significant foveolar hyperplasia, tortuous glands, and a few cystically dilated foveolar glands, which were limited up to the muscle layer. Mild serosal congestion was seen. No atypia or invasion was seen. An impression to consider is the possibility of Ménétrier's disease (MD). MD is an acquired protein-losing enteropathy with giant gastric rugal folds, decreased acid secretion, and increased gastric mucous production. Radiographically, endoscopically, and grossly, the condition can be confused with malignant lymphoma or carcinoma. It is difficult to diagnose, and histopathological confirmation of the resected specimen is needed for a definitive diagnosis. Our intention in presenting this case is to emphasize that MD can present as massive hematemesis and should be considered in a differential diagnosis. Surgical treatment by total or partial gastrectomy is recommended for cases with persistent, debilitating symptoms or a risk of cancer.
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AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the predictive value of Emergency Surgery Score (ESS) with regard to mortality and morbidity rates of patients undergoing emergency laparotomy. METHOD: The ESS ranging from 0 to 29 is an extensive risk calculator based on 22 variables including important parameters like demographics, preoperative treatment, comorbidities, and laboratory values. Twenty patients who underwent emergency laparotomy were preoperatively assessed and ESS was calculated for each. After establishment of diagnosis and resuscitation, the patient was taken up for emergency laparotomy. Postoperatively, patients were monitored clinically as well as with laboratory and radiological investigations as per case needed till discharge and further followed up physically in OPD/ward or interviewed telephonically for 30 days on a weekly basis. Incidence of mortality and morbidity in terms of postoperative complications, ICU admission, reoperation and readmission among the cases occurring within 30 days of procedure were recorded. RESULTS: ESS correlated well with the outcome in the current study, 10 out of 14 patients with score less than 8 were discharged without any complications. Mean ESS was higher among non-survivors. Ability of ESS to predict postoperative mortality, morbidity and ICU stay was proven statistically with c-statistics of 0.853, 0.84, 0.879 respectively. ESS was found to be a good predictor for the development of postoperative lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) (c-statistic=0.828), sepsis (c-statistic=0.867), disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) (c-statistic=0.805), acute kidney injury (AKI) (c-statistic=0.804). ESS showed poor correlation with reoperation and readmission rates. CONCLUSION: The current study underscores the critical importance of employing risk stratification through ESS for patients undergoing emergency laparotomy. By employing ESS, healthcare professionals can accurately anticipate resuscitation requirements and stabilize patients preoperatively. This proactive approach enables the identification and optimization of patients unsuitable for immediate surgery, facilitating informed decisions on targeted treatment, surgical intervention, and postoperative care pathways.
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Background Abdominal wound dehiscence, a serious postoperative issue, remains a significant concern for surgeons due to its potential to increase patient mortality and morbidity. Disruption can occur at any point after surgery, sparking debate over the optimal closure method for midline vertical abdominal wounds. Therefore, it's crucial to determine the safest approach. Our randomized clinical trial is planned to compare the risk of a burst abdomen associated with the Hughes abdominal closure technique to that of continuous abdominal closure. Methods All patients >18 years scheduled for emergency midline laparotomy were randomly assigned into two groups using computer-generated random numbers: Group A underwent Hughes repair (12 patients) and Group B underwent continuous closure (17 patients). Preoperative data, including patient demographics, and postoperative outcomes, such as time for rectus closure, wound dehiscence, surgical site infection (SSI), and length of hospital stay, were documented for analysis. Results The study found that the average patient age was 37.89 years, with more males than females. Both groups had an equal distribution of co-morbidities (p = 0.468), but none of these factors were statistically significant. Burst abdomen occurred in 25% of group A and 41.1% of group B (p = 0.367, not significant). Incisional hernia was absent in both groups. Surgical site infection (p = 0.119) and respiratory complications (p = 0.16) were not statistically significant between groups. However, in group A, the regressive analysis showed significant associations between burst abdomen, surgical site infection (p = 0.018), and respiratory complications (p = 0.007), while in group B, these associations were not significant (p = 0.252 for SSI and p = 0.906 for respiratory complications). Conclusion The occurrence of burst abdomen and closure time differences between continuous and Hughes techniques were not significant. The Hughes technique was quicker to learn (32 vs. 22 minutes). Burst abdomen was more common in continuous closure (group A: 25% vs. group B: 41%), favoring the Hughes technique. Factors like age, gender, and others didn't significantly impact the burst abdomen in either group.