Clinical and laboratory findings in surgical intestinal obstruction in adults
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Abstract
Introduction: Surgical intestinal obstruction is a frequent cause of acute abdomen in emergency services due to its multiple etiologies. It presents variable clinical manifestations and delays in diagnosis. Establishing a diagnosis is crucial to deciding between conservative treatment or surgical resolution. Objective: To identify the frequent clinical and laboratory aspects in patients with surgical intestinal obstruction. Methods: A clinical records review of patients between 19 and 70 years old admitted to the Regional Hospital of Cobán general surgery emergency service from June 2023 to March 2024 was conducted. Descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test were used to determine significant associations. Results: Of the total number of patients, 73% were diagnosed with surgical intestinal obstruction. The most frequent clinical findings included cramping abdominal pain (100%), abdominal distension (87%), leukocytosis >10,000 (87%), vomiting (74.1%), and digital rectal examination without stool (72.2%). Variables such as abdominal distension, absence of gastrointestinal sounds, hypokalemia, and leukocytosis >10,000 were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions: The identified clinical and laboratory variables are essential for the early diagnosis of surgical intestinal obstruction, especially in resource-limited settings where advanced diagnostic tools are not always available.
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