title: Prognostic factors of ischemic colitis after infrarenal aortic surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Postoperative ischemic colitis (POIC) remains a frequent and extremely severe complication of infrarenal abdominal aorta surgery. However, its diagnosis and treatment are not always consensual because the incidence is very small. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prognostic factors of severe colitis after infrarenal aorta surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed peroperative and perioperative data of the patients who, between 1998 and 2004, underwent infrarenal abdominal aorta surgery and were presented with confirmed POIC. We set two distinct groups: acute colitis group (operated POIC, perioperative deaths, or evolution toward a colic stenosis secondarily operated on) and a moderate colitis group (recovery without aftereffects and no surgery). The main goal was to individualize the prognostic factors of acute colitis. Using the Student's t-test or the Fisher's exact test, the potential prognostic factors were compared between these two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 1998 and 2004, 679 patients underwent infrarenal abdominal aorta surgery. Among these patients, 28 POIC cases were confirmed: 20 patients had acute POIC and eight had moderate POIC. Demographic and peroperative data were similar in the two groups. Among the 20 patients with acute POIC, 17 were operated on with a postoperative mortality rate of 58.8%. All the patients had at least a left colitis. In 59% of the cases, Hartmann's procedure was performed with a mortality rate of 50%. Early digestive symptoms (p = 0.05), use of vasopressors (p = 0.0377), diagnosis in intensive care unit (p = 0.0095), and a pH <7.35 at D1 (p = 0.0261) were independently associated with acute ischemic colitis. Moreover, we could observe the important role of endoscopy aiming at making diagnosis and prognosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlighted significant prognosis factors of severe colitis. These factors could help take the decision to operate POIC, especially to lower the effect of multiple organ failure syndrome (MOFS).
authors: Service de chirurgie générale, CHU de Nantes, Nantes, France. stephdarras@hotmail.com
authors: Stéphanie
authors: S
authors: Darras
authors: Jacques
authors: J
authors: Paineau
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: Patra
authors: Yann
authors: Y
authors: Goueffic
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000601:surgery*; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D017091:Colitis, Ischemic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality