ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Left-sided colonic and rectal ischemia is commonly seen after surgery for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAAs) and is associated with increased mortality. Earlier studies have shown that flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) may detect ischemia when performed postoperatively, and suggestions have been made that patients can be selected for FS based on clinical and biochemical parameters. We sought to perform FS in all patients surviving the first 24 hours after surgery for rAAA and to compare the findings of FS to clinical and biochemical parameters. METHODS: All patients undergoing emergency surgery for rAAA and surviving the first 24 hours underwent FS to assess any degree of ischemia. RESULTS: During the study period, 41 patients survived the first 24 hours after surgery. In 9 (22%) patients, some degree of colonic ischemia was found. Segmental necrosis was only shown in 5% at first FS. Patients with ischemia received more blood transfusions intraoperatively than those with normal findings at FS. They also had longer periods with mean blood pressure <60 mm Hg postoperatively, and lower arterial pH on the first postoperative day. Blood lactate levels did not differ between the groups. None of the parameters were sufficiently discriminative to be used for distinguishing between patients with and without ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: Severe colonic ischemia was less common than previously reported. All cases of colonic ischemia were identified by early FS, but none of the clinical and biochemical parameters were sufficiently reliable to distinguish between patients with and without ischemia. It is suggested that all patients initially surviving surgery for rAAA should be offered FS to screen for colonic ischemia.
Subject(s)
Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal/surgery , Aortic Rupture/surgery , Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation/adverse effects , Colitis, Ischemic/diagnosis , Sigmoidoscopy/methods , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal/mortality , Aortic Rupture/mortality , Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation/methods , Colitis, Ischemic/etiology , Colitis, Ischemic/mortality , Denmark/epidemiology , Diagnostic Tests, Routine/methods , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Postoperative Complications , Retrospective Studies , Severity of Illness Index , Survival Rate/trends , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Intensive care contributes to a substantial part of health care expenses. Admission to intensive care units is associated with a high mortality rate and a high risk of long-term disability. Data from several studies suggest that suboptimal standards of intensive care are relatively common. Lack of knowledge regarding the use of intensive care and long-term outcome as well as the effectiveness and adverse effects of intensive care impede a systematic and evidence-based development and quality improvement. An initiative to establish a Danish national clinical database for intensive care has been launched.