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Clinical Studies
Causes of surgical acute abdomen in adults at St. Francis Hospital: A semi-urban hospital at Kilombero, Tanzania
1 MD, MMED Surgery, Lecturer, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, St. Francis University College of Health and Allied Sciences, Ifakara, Tanzania
2 MD, MMED Surgery, Head of Department, Department of Surgery, St. Francis Referral Hospital, Ifakara, Tanzania
3 MD, MMED Surgery, Department of Surgery, St. Francis Referral Hospital, Ifakara, Tanzania
4 Professor, Head of Department, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, St. Francis University College of Health and Allied Sciences, Ifakara, Tanzania
Address correspondence to:
Theresia Andrew Karuhanga
P.O. BOX 175, Ifakara,
Tanzania
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Article ID: 100012G01TK2020
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Karuhanga TA, Tekie F, Mayoka RM, Balthazary ST. Causes of surgical acute abdomen in adults at St. Francis Hospital: A semi-urban hospital at Kilombero, Tanzania. Edorium J Gastroenterol 2020;7:100012G01TK2020.ABSTRACT
Aims: Acute abdomen (AA) is a non-traumatic abdominal pain contributing approximately 1% of total admission, commonly treated surgically, causing common surgical emergency with significant challenges to the surgeons. There is scanty study in Tanzania hence a need to conduct it at St. Francis Referral Hospital (SFRH).
Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using medical records at St. Francis Referral Hospital (SFRH) from October 2017 to October 1, 2019. The data were analyzed by using SPSS version 20.0 statistical package.
Results: Out of 284 patients, males were 185 (65.14%) and females were 99 (34.86%) with M:F of 1.9:1. The age ranged from 13 to 85, and the most prominent age group was 30–39 (19.7%). Abdominal pain was the major complain (100%). The bowel obstruction due to sigmoid volvulus was the common cause of AA 25% (71). Of all patients, 121 (42.6%) had long duration of illness (above 72 hours). Out of the surgically treated patients, 32 (14.03%) developed postoperative complications other than deaths. The commonest complication was wound infection (5.63%). The overall mortality rate was 12.68% (36).
Conclusion: The study has shown that acute abdomen commonly occurred in the third and fourth decades of life. The study has also described that AA at SFRH is mostly caused by large bowel obstruction due to sigmoid volvulus and peritonitis due to perforated peptic ulcer disease (PPUD). There is high mortality rate (12.68%) which may be contributed by delayed management due to long duration of illness.
Keywords: Acute abdomen, Significant challenges, Surgical emergency
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the Principal of St. Francis University College of Health and Allied Science (SFUCHAS) and the Director of St. Francis Referral Hospital for support rendered during our study period.
Author ContributionsTheresia Andrew Karuhanga - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Fassil Tekie - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Rashid Mrisho Mayoka - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Interpretation of data, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Sakurani Theobald Balthazary - Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guaranter of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2020 Theresia Andrew Karuhanga et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
