title: Early abdominal complications following heart and heart-lung transplantation.
abstract: In the first 11 years of the heart and heart-lung transplantation programme at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, 356 patients underwent heart transplantation, and 73 patients received both heart and lungs. Out of 429 patients 41 (9.5 per cent) developed abdominal complications within the first 30 days, and 20 of the 41 required surgery. The complications included pancreatitis (10), peptic ulceration (8), and pseudo-obstruction (8), in addition to colonic perforation and small bowel obstruction. When laparotomy was performed it was well tolerated. This paper supports the view that successful management of abdominal complications following transplantation requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Where doubt exists in the presence of an acute abdomen, laparotomy is the appropriate way to establish a definitive diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: N V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Jamieson
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wreghitt
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Large
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wallwork
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: English
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D003112:Colonic Pseudo-Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D004240:Diverticulum / Q000209:etiology; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D016041:Heart-Lung Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D007511:Ischemia / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008638:Mesenteric Arteries; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000209:etiology*; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000209:etiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology*; D013997:Time Factors