Decoding the changing etiology and management protocols of intestinal obstruction: A prospective clinical study

Abstract

Background: Obstruction of the bowel is one of the most common problems intra-abdominally seen by surgeons in their practice. The reasons associated with these obstructions are biochemical disturbances correlated to adhesion, neoplasms, and/or hernia. Obstruction of either the large intestine or small intestine remains the major cause of mortality and morbidity. Methods: The study included a total of 48 subjects having intestinal obstruction within the age range of 18-87 years. The diagnosis was made based on hematologic parameters, radiologic parameters, physical examination, and clinical history of the subjects. Results: Most common complication seen in 14.58% (n=7) study subjects, followed by the surgical site infection seen in 10.41% (n=5) study subjects. Respiratory tract infection was seen in 8.33% (n=4) of study subjects. The least common reported complication was faecal fistula seen in 4.16% (n=2) of study subjects. On assessing the mortality rate of the present study, it was seen that 12.5% (n=6) subjects died following surgical management of acute abdominal distension, whereas, 87.5% (n=42) subjects survived and were cured Conclusion: The present study concludes that the most common reason behind intestinal obstruction was postoperative adhesion which can be accurately diagnosed with operative, radiological, and clinical assessment.