title: Stress ulceration requiring definitive surgery after severe trauma.
abstract: Despite antiulcer prophylaxis 19 severely injured patients at our institution developed stress ulceration (SU) between 1989 and 1999 requiring surgery for perforation (n = 4) or bleeding (n = 15). A herald bleed (HB) 10.7 +/- 1.2 days after admission, 7.2 +/- 1.2 days before definitive operative therapy, and requiring 7.1 +/- 0.9 units of blood occurred in 93 per cent of patients operated on for bleeding. Bleeding preceded perforation in one patient. Central nervous system damage was part of the injury pattern in 68 per cent of the patients including spinal cord (42%), severe head injury (16%), or both (10%). Forty-two per cent had acalculous cholecystitis found at surgery. Eight patients had vagotomy and antrectomy (VA), and 11 patients had vagotomy and pyloroplasty (VP). VA required more time than VP (255 +/- 41 vs 158 +/- 13 minutes; P = 0.02). One patient (12.5%) rebled after VA versus two (18%) after VP; one patient in each group required reoperation. There was no difference in mortality, length of stay, or intensive care unit stay. A herald bleed preceded recurrent hemorrhage of SU by one week. Spinal cord or head injury increase the risk of SU. More than 40 per cent of patients with SU had acalculous cholecystitis found at operation. VA provides no benefit on rebleeding or reoperation over VP, so anatomical considerations and not rebleed rates should determine the surgical procedure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, USA.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Zarzaur
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kudsk
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: F E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Pritchard
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Fabian
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Croce
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Minard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000293:injuries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D010438:Peptic Ulcer Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D010439:Peptic Ulcer Perforation / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000150:complications*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications*