Abdominal surgery in chronic hemodialysis patients

The number of patients with end-stage renal disease who benefit from chroni c dialysis is steadily increasing. This study was designed to assess abdomi nal surgery in chronic hemodialysis (CHD) patients. A 7-year retrospective study was conducted including all the patients on CHD who underwent abdomin al surgery in our unit. These patients were separated into an elective and an emergency surgery group. Forty-three patients underwent surgery. In the elective surgery group (18 patients), the most common diseases were colorec tal cancer, symptomatic gallbladder stones, and hernia. There was no death related to surgery in this group, and only one patient developed a complica tion (5%). In the emergency surgery group (25 patients), the most common di seases were mesenteric ischemia and gastrointestinal bleeding from angiodys plasia. Complications occurred in 10 patients (total morbidity rate, 40%), and 6 of them died (mortality rate, 24%). Gastrointestinal elective surgery in patients on CHD can be performed with low morbidity and mortality rates . The emergency group was differentiated by the high prevalence of bleeding from angiodysplasia and mesenteric infarction, as well as its high surgica l mortality rate.