Medical problems in surgical patients.
OBJECTIVE
There has been an increase in surgical cases due to physical violence, accidents and weapon related injuries. This study was undertaken to assess the medical problems in general surgical cases and due to various injuries.


METHODS
All general surgical cases and casualties arising out of weapon related, accidents and blunt injuries admitted to a zonal hospital over a period of one and half years were studied. Only cases who developed a medical illness due to surgical cause, anaesthetic or surgery were included. Evaluation and treatment was done alongwith the surgeon till discharge/death. Details were analysed to ascertain the type of surgical illness, medical complication and the outcome of treatment.


RESULTS
There were seven hundred sixty two (53.8%) general surgery cases and six hundred fifty four (46.2%) cases due to various injuries. After excluding cases with prior known medical illness, thirty seven patients were studied. There were eight (1.05%) patients out of seven hundred sixty two general surgery cases and twenty nine (4.43%) out of six hundred fifty four injury cases. Weapon related injury cases were the maximum. Their medical problems related to the organ injury, fat embolism and sepsis. Soft tissue injury was next common, they all developed renal failure. Vehicle accident victim(3) were few and developed fat embolism, aspiration. Two patients out of thirty seven succumbed to post anaesthetic complications.


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of medical problem in injury related cases are more than in general surgery cases. The type of injury contributes to the medical problem. Increase in mortality and morbidity is because of emergency nature of surgery. This problem needs special study.
Kasthuri
A S
AS
Department of Medicine, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune 411 040.
Nagpal
B M
BM
Handa
A
A
Singh
Y D
YD
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*