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A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF OUTCOMES IN PATINETS WITH SMALL BOWEL OBSTRUCTION (SBO): ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF GASTROGRAFIN (GG) ADMINISTRATION
Fady Botros
*, Theofano Zoumpou, Bao-Ngoc Nasri
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ
Background:
Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a common cause of surgical admissions, constituting approximately 15% of emergency surgical cases and resulting in around 300,000 hospital admissions annually in the USA, with associated healthcare costs exceeding 1.3 billion dollars. Gastrografin (GG), a hyperosmolar radiopaque contrast medium widely recognized for its diagnostic utility, has recently been hypothesized as a potential therapeutic agent for SBO. However, conflicting findings in the literature regarding the extent of GG's therapeutic effects necessitate further exploration. This study aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic impact of GG in SBO.
Methods:
A retrospective chart review was conducted for patients presenting to Newark University Hospital from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022. Patients were categorized based on GG administration, excluding those requiring emergent exploratory laparotomy, having contraindications to GG, or being under 18 years-old. The primary outcome is the necessity for surgical intervention post-GG administration. The secondary outcomes are the length of hospital stay (LOS) and the readmission with SBO within 6 months after discharge
Results:
Among the 59 eligible patients, 47 received GG, and 8 of them (17.02%) required subsequent surgical intervention. In the group not receiving GG (n=12), one patient necessitated surgery after unsuccessful nonsurgical intervention. The Fisher exact test yielded a p-value of 0.6697. The average LOS in GG group is 5.0 days vs 5.2 days in the second group. Within six months after the first incident of SBO, six patients out of the 47 who received GG were readmitted with SBO vs one patient out of the 12 patients who did not receive GG.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the study did not reveal a statistically significant correlation between the administration of GG and the need for surgical intervention in patients presenting with SBO. The limited sample size and inherent constraints of a retrospective design warrant further investigation to draw definitive conclusions. These findings have implications for the ongoing discourse on the therapeutic utility of GG in SBO and underscore the necessity for larger, prospective studies to elucidate its potential clinical benefits
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