title: Determinants of in-hospital mortality and length of stay for acute intestinal gangrene.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intestinal gangrene carries high operative mortality and morbidity rates. This study was undertaken to identify predictors of in-hospital death and length of stay.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of hospital data over a 6-year period identified 107 patients diagnosed with acute bowel gangrene.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the baseline factors that had a significant univariable association with mortality (51%) were age (P = 0.04), symptom duration (P = 0.01), preoperative and postoperative pH and lactic acid (P < or = 0.02), history of hypertension (P = 0.001), and renal failure (P = 0.008). Symptom duration and history of hypertension were independent risk factors for mortality. Longer length of stay was univariably associated with symptom duration (P = 0.006), systemic acidosis (P < or =0.005), vascular etiology (P = 0.04), amount of resected bowel (P = 0.001), and need for second-look procedures (P <0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of multiple risk factors predictive of a high mortality rate may aid more realistic decision making for physicians, patients, and family members.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Karthikeshwar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kasirajan
authors.forename: Edward J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Mascha
authors.forename: Daithi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heffernan
authors.forename: Jody
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sifuentes
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005734:Gangrene / Q000401:mortality; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000473:pathology*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies