title: [Damage control surgery for acute mesenteric ischemia].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the outcome of damage control surgery (DCS) in patients with acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical data of 15 consecutive AMI cases treated with DCS from May 2001 to March 2009 at the Research Institute of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Eleven patients had acute superior mesenteric vein thrombosis (MVT) on admission, and 4 suffered from acute mesenteric arterial embolism/thrombosis (MAE/MAT). The staged damage control approach included immediate resection of the involved bowel (but no attempts to restore gastrointestinal continuity), open thrombectomy, transfer of the patients to ICU for resuscitation, and thrombolysis prior to the planned definitive reconstructive procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 15 patients, 10 (66.7%) survived. The mean remnant small bowel length was (209.0+/-53.8) cm (120 to 280 cm). None of the survived patients was parenteral nutrition-dependent. Of the 5 deaths, 2 died of recurrence of thrombosis and necrosis of the remaining bowel,1 of massive gastrointestinal bleeding. One patient abandoned treatment intra-operatively, and another with total small bowel resection abandoned treatment postoperatively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Damage control approach improves the survival of patients with AMI. Thrombectomy and thrombolysis are necessary for AMI management to prevent progression or further development of the thrombosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing 200000, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Feng
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Wei-Ming
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Xing-Jiang
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jie-Shou
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D007511:Ischemia / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008641:Mesenteric Vascular Occlusion / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D008643:Mesentery / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017131:Thrombectomy; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy