Biomaterial Database

Enterocutaneous fistulas following laparotomy for trauma. 1991

K J Buechter, and D Leonovicz, and P R Hastings, and C Fonts

Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans 70112.

Enterocutaneous fistulas (ECF) are recognized complications of various bowel diseases. Trauma is reported as a rare cause of ECF. ECF following laparotomy for abdominal injury was studied in 15 patients to determine whether traditional principles of management for ECF are applicable in posttraumatic ECF. Thirty-three per cent of patients with posttraumatic ECF spontaneously healed fistulas with appropriate nutritional support without operative intervention. Sixty-six per cent of patients required operative intervention, either because of associated sepsis or failure to spontaneously heal. Five patients had fistulas originate from areas of bowel not injured in the initial injury. This study suggests traditional principles of management for ECF are applicable in ECF following laparotomy for abdominal injury and result in a spontaneous closure of fistulas in one-third of patients. In addition, sepsis is the main indication for early aggressive operative treatment of these fistulas.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007412	Intestinal Fistula	An abnormal anatomical passage between the INTESTINE, and another segment of the intestine or other organs. External intestinal fistula is connected to the SKIN (enterocutaneous fistula). Internal intestinal fistula can be connected to a number of organs, such as STOMACH (gastrocolic fistula), the BILIARY TRACT (cholecystoduodenal fistula), or the URINARY BLADDER of the URINARY TRACT (colovesical fistula). Risk factors include inflammatory processes, cancer, radiation treatment, and surgical misadventures (MEDICAL ERRORS).	Cholecystoduodenal Fistula,Colovesical Fistula,Enterocutaneous Fistula,Fistula, Cholecystoduodenal,Fistula, Colovesical,Fistula, Enterocutaneous,Fistula, Intestinal
D007813	Laparotomy	Incision into the side of the abdomen between the ribs and pelvis.	Minilaparotomy,Laparotomies,Minilaparotomies
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009104	Multiple Trauma	Multiple physical insults or injuries occurring simultaneously.	Injuries, Multiple,Trauma, Multiple,Wounds, Multiple,Multiple Injuries,Polytrauma,Injury, Multiple,Multiple Injury,Multiple Traumas,Multiple Wound,Multiple Wounds,Polytraumas,Traumas, Multiple,Wound, Multiple
D011183	Postoperative Complications	Pathologic processes that affect patients after a surgical procedure. They may or may not be related to the disease for which the surgery was done, and they may or may not be direct results of the surgery.	Complication, Postoperative,Complications, Postoperative,Postoperative Complication
D012075	Remission, Spontaneous	A spontaneous diminution or abatement of a disease over time, without formal treatment.	Spontaneous Healing,Spontaneous Regression,Spontaneous Remission,Healing, Spontaneous,Regression, Spontaneous,Spontaneous Healings,Spontaneous Regressions
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000007	Abdominal Injuries	General or unspecified injuries involving organs in the abdominal cavity.	Injuries, Abdominal,Abdominal Injury,Injury, Abdominal