title: Urgent endoscopic drainage for acute suppurative cholangitis.
abstract: 105 patients with acute calculous cholangitis who did not respond to conservative management underwent urgent endoscopic drainage of the biliary system at a mean of 1.5 days after admission. Treatment was successful in 102 (97%) patients. 3 of the patients in whom drainage was not successful underwent emergency surgery, with 1 death. 3 patients died of uncontrolled sepsis despite successful endoscopic drainage. 1 patient died of a stroke. The overall mortality was 4.7%. Among those in shock 2 out of 4 drained after 72 h died, compared with 3 out of 38 drained before 72 h. There were no deaths in the group without shock irrespective of the timing of drainage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Banez
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002761:Cholangitis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004322:Drainage; D004384:Duodenoscopy; D004630:Emergencies; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors