The patient is an elderly male patient who underwent chemotherapy and total gastrectomy 2 months ago in a higher level hospital in Hangzhou, and recovered well after the operation. One day in the middle of last month, he suddenly had abdominal pain and distension and came to our hospital for emergency treatment. After the operation, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit for treatment, and after the condition was stabilized, he returned to the general surgery ward and was discharged successfully with high patient satisfaction.
The successful treatment of this patient was a great challenge for our surgeons, and the patient’s family also took a great risk. Because of the necrosis of the small intestine, food is not properly decomposed and absorbed, and a large amount of bacteria is produced in the abdominal cavity, which can lead to toxicity and life-threatening effects. The literature shows that a person with more than 1.1 meters of small intestine is barely enough to survive, but less than 1.1 meters is difficult to survive. During this process, the liver will also be “idle” for a long time and lose its function, and eventually the patient will die due to multiple organ failure.
In this treatment, we and the patient’s family united to challenge the limits of the human body, which is an important reason for the patient’s successful recovery, and also enabled our department to reach a new level in the diagnosis and treatment of acute abdominal disease.