Patterns of Abdominal Surgical Emergencies of Patients Treated at Ambo Referral Hospital from January 1, 2018 to December 30, 2019, Oromia Regional State, Ambo, Ethiopia
Acute abdomen is an acute onset of abdominal disease entities that require immediate surgical intervention in most of the cases. It is the commonly encountered emergency in the practice of general surgery but there was no much information regarding its magnitude in our country. Objective: This study had assessed the pattern of acute abdomen of patients surgically treated at Ambo referral hospital from January 2018-Dec. 2019 Methodology: This study was conducted at Ambo referral hospital and retrospective analysis of surgically treated acute abdomen patients from January 2018-Dec. 2019G. C. Enrolled patients medical record number was collected from surgical operation registration book and the charts were collected from chart collection room. Results: During this study period there were total of one hundred and eleven (111) patients admitted with diagnoses of acute abdomen and surgically treated on emergency basis. Males were more affected than females and most affected group were young age falls in 2nd and 3rd decades. The most common presenting symptoms were abdominal pain and vomiting whereas abdominal tenderness and distension were the leading signs. The leading causes of acute abdomen were acute appendicitis followed by intestinal obstruction and abdominal trauma. The investigation was ordered according to clinical diagnoses to aid/ confirm diagnoses. Post-operative stay was relatively similar with studies conducted in some part of the country and all over the world. In the study period above 90% were discharged with improvement where as 9% were died. Conclusion: This study depicted the commonest presenting symptoms and signs, most common etiology of acute abdomen and pre and post op stay which affected the outcome. Still some variables need deep study like why trauma becomes a 3rd leading cause and less affected females.
