Failure to improve outcome in acute mesenteric ischaemia: seven-year review.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the prognosis of acute mesenteric ischaemia has changed over the past seven years.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING

Teaching hospital, Scotland.

SUBJECTS

57 patients who presented to this hospital between January 1987 and December 1993 with acute mesenteric ischaemia.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Morbidity, mortality and prognostic features.

RESULTS

46 of the 57 patients died. Only 18(32%) patients were accurately diagnosed before operation or death. Clinical presentation, white cell count, and serum amylase activity were not helpful in the diagnosis. Only 3 patients had mesenteric angiography, and none were given lytic agents or vasodilators.

CONCLUSION

Mortality from acute mesenteric ischaemia has not changed during the past two decades and in the absence of an accurate diagnostic test is unlikely to do so.