Typhoid intestinal perforation: Analysis of the outcome of surgical treatment in Kano, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Intestinal perforation is a serious complication of typhoid fever with high case fatality rates in developing countries. This study aims to determine the factors associated with an adverse clinical outcome among patients managed for typhoid intestinal perforation (TIP) in our hospital. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of all patients presenting to our general surgery unit with TIP between January 2012 and December 2015. The patients were categorized based on postoperative outcome status and the patient-related variables were compared and analyzed for determinants of outcome, using the Chi-square test. A statistical significance was assigned to a P 1000 ml was significantly associated with having a postoperative fecal fistula (P = 0.011) and postoperative mortality (P = 0.002). A number of intestinal perforations were not significantly associated with an adverse outcome (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Postoperative fecal fistula adversely affected the outcome of the patients in our series. Multiple intestinal perforations did not seem to affect the outcome in our patients.

Keywords

• Typhoid fever
• intestinal perforation
• fecal fistula
• mortality
• clinical outcome