title: Risk factors of morbidity and mortality in patients with perforated peptic ulcer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Peptic ulcer perforation is a serious problem that leads to high complication and mortality rates. The aim of this prospective clinical study was to evaluate complications and possible risk factors for peri-operative morbidity and mortality in patients with perforated peptic ulcer (PPU).
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-seven patients hospitalized for PPU at the Department of Surgery, Vakif Gureba Training and Research Hospital, between March 1998 and December 2004 were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of patients was 38.6 years. Ten patients had 19 co-morbidities. The mean hospitalisation time was 7.1 days. Twenty-one complications in 15 patients occurred. Overall morbidity and mortality rates were 15.5% and 5.2% respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of 97 patients revealed that age (p < 0.006) and late admission (p < 0.001) were linked to morbidity. The mortality rate tended to be associated with advanced age, therapeutic delay and co-morbidities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased patients' age and the therapeutic delay, predicted outcome after surgical treatment of PPU. Morbidity and mortality could be reduced by avoiding delays in diagnosis and treatment, especially in older patients, and by instituting proper treatment of any coexisting medical illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Vakif Gureba Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. gurhanbas@yahoo.com
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bas
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eryilmaz
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Okan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sahin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D010439:Peptic Ulcer Perforation / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology