title: Bowel injury in septic abortion: the need for more aggressive management.
abstract: An analysis of bowel injury in cases of septic abortion treated over a six-year period at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital at Enugu is presented. Seventy-three percent (11/15) of the patients who underwent laparotomy had concomitant injury to the bowels. Overall, 16.4% of the 67 patients with septic abortion had intestinal injuries (this does not include the patients who died as a result of fulminating peritonitis before surgery could be performed). The survival of those patients with intestinal injuries was very much dependent on the operative procedures adopted. When a dysfunctioning colostomy was raised, the mortality was nil. In patients who had simple closure of the perforation and in those who had primary resection and anastomosis, mortality was 66.6%. The importance of performing laparotomy much sooner than usual is discussed.
mesh_terms: D000024:Abortion, Illegal; D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000031:Abortion, Septic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D007422:Intestines / Q000293:injuries*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014599:Uterus / Q000293:injuries