Causes of surgical acute abdomen in adults at St. Francis Hospital: A semi-urban hospital at Kilombero, Tanzania

Abstract

Aims: Acute abdomen (AA) is a non-traumatic abdominal pain contributing approximately 1% of total admission, commonly treated surgically, causing common surgical emergency with significant challenges to the surgeons. There is scanty study in Tanzania hence a need to conduct it at St. Francis Referral Hospital (SFRH). Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using medical records at St. Francis Referral Hospital (SFRH) from October 2017 to October 1, 2019. The data were analyzed by using SPSS version 20.0 statistical package. Results: Out of 284 patients, males were 185 (65.14%) and females were 99 (34.86%) with M:F of 1.9:1. The age ranged from 13 to 85, and the most prominent age group was 30–39 (19.7%). Abdominal pain was the major complain (100%). The bowel obstruction due to sigmoid volvulus was the common cause of AA 25% (71). Of all patients, 121 (42.6%) had long duration of illness (above 72 hours). Out of the surgically treated patients, 32 (14.03%) developed postoperative complications other than deaths. The commonest complication was wound infection (5.63%). The overall mortality rate was 12.68% (36). Conclusion: The study has shown that acute abdomen commonly occurred in the third and fourth decades of life. The study has also described that AA at SFRH is mostly caused by large bowel obstruction due to sigmoid volvulus and peritonitis due to perforated peptic ulcer disease (PPUD). There is high mortality rate (12.68%) which may be contributed by delayed management due to long duration of illness.