[Treatment of bleeding duodenal ulcer. A study of mortality and indication of surgical treatment. Apropos of 557 cases].

From 1986 to 1996, 557 patients are treated for acute ulcer bleeding. The sex ratio is five to one for men, the average age is 40 years old. The duodenal ulcer is revelated by haemorrhage in 25.8%. 181 patients underwent a surgical operation (32%). This percentage is higher that those encountered in the literature, due probably to our specific context (patients from low socioeconomic level, can not afford medical treatment, medical surveillance or control, lack of blood products in emergency. The most practiced surgical treatment is weinberg operation: "Troncular Vagotomy" with "pyroloplasty" and "ulcer sean" practiced in 86.1% of the cases; "Troncular Vagotomy" with "Gastro-intestinal anastomosis" is operated in 7.7% of the cases; "Superselective Vagotomy" and "Seromyotomy" is practiced in 3.8%, with the "Antroduodenectomy" is practiced in 1.1% of the cases. The overall death rate observed is about 4% this value increase to 11% after surgical treatment. This death rate is lower than the literature, that's probably anociated the fact that most of our patients are young and do not hold severe weaknesses. This study indicates that mortality was related to the patient's age, the patient's condition and recurrent haemorrhages.