Abstract
Introduction: Recent studies indicate that trauma patients with hollow viscus injuries requiring anastomosis who are managed with stapling have a higher rate of complications than do those in whom a hand-Sewn anastomosis is used. We undertook this study to determine whether this finding applied to patients with small bowel trauma at our institution. Methods: Records of patients with small bowel injuries were retrospectively reviewed. Demographics, severity of injury, injury management, and outcome data were collected. Results: Patients who had their small bowel injuries managed by hand-Sewn repair versus resection and stapled anastomosis demonstrated a nonsignificant decrease in overall complication rate (35% vs. 44%) and rate of intra-abdominal complication (10% vs. 18%). Yet the rate of intra-abdominal abscess formation was significantly lower with hand-sewn repair than with resection and stapled anastomosis (4% vs. 13%). However, when handsewn primary repairs were excluded from the analysis and injuries that required resection and either stapled or hand-sewn anastomosis were compared, there was a similar overall complication rate (41% vs. 41%) and rate of intra-abdominal complications (17% vs. 21%). Conclusion: The rate of intra-abdominal complications did not differ significantly between patients requiring small bowel resection and reanastomosis managed by either a stapled or hand-sewn technique. In our experience, surgical stapling devices appear to be safe for use in repairing traumatic small bowel injury.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 660-666 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Trauma - Injury, Infection and Critical Care |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2000 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
- Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine