THE MANAGEMENT OF PYLORIC-STENOSIS IN A DISTRICT HOSPITAL

Over a 10-year period, 80 infants were admitted with a diagnosis of py loric stenosis. Seventy-nine underwent surgical pyloromyotomy (63 male , 16 female; mean age 5.6 weeks). Fifty-nine infants (75%) were operat ed upon by one of four consultant surgeons and 20 (25%) operations wer e undertaken by a registrar. Seventy operations (89%) were performed d uring normal working hours and thirty of these (43%) were placed first on the operating list. The mean length of stay was 6.9 days. Three in fants required re-operation: there were two instances of wound dehisce nce and one episode of bleeding from the edge of the pyloromyotomy. Th ere were no deaths. The morbidity and mortality in this series was com parable with published results from specialist units.