ACUTE INTESTINAL ISCHEMIA - A REVIEW OF 214 CASES

The records of 214 patients with acute intestinal ischaemia treated be tween 1972-1990 were studied retrospectively. The median age of the pa tients was 74.9 years. A prior history of cardiovascular disease was p resent in 86 % of the patients. Overall mortality of 30 days after the diagnosis was 82 % one hundred seventy-one patients (80 %) were opera ted on. Fifty-one per cent of operations remained exploratory laparoto mies. The best results, with a mortality of 51 % in 30 days, were achi eved in patients who were treated aggressively with bowel resection. A ny of the revascularizations (7 %) did not turn out to be successful. All the 43 patients (20 %) remaining on conservative treatment died. S urvivors were usually younger and had less extensive bowel infarction. Thus, the extent and duration of the bowel necrosis were important pr ognostic factors. To improve the prognosis clinical awareness of the p roblem and attempts toward early diagnosis should be raised.