Surgical complications of the haemolytic uraemic syndrome

During the first outbreak of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) to be reported in Australia, 22 children were admitted to the Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide. The outbreak was caused by an entero-haemorrhagic Escherichia coli strain (EHEC) of serotype 011:H-, a strain rarely impli...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatric surgery international 1996-06, Vol.11 (5-6), p.363-365
Main Authors: VARJAVANDI, V. V, FORD, W. D. A, JUREDINI, K. F, HENNING, P. H, POWER, R. G, LITTLE, K. E. T, DAVEY, R. B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacterial diseases
Bacterial diseases of the digestive system and abdomen
Biological and medical sciences
Human bacterial diseases
Infectious diseases
Medical sciences
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:During the first outbreak of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) to be reported in Australia, 22 children were admitted to the Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide. The outbreak was caused by an entero-haemorrhagic Escherichia coli strain (EHEC) of serotype 011:H-, a strain rarely implicated as a cause for HUS. In all 22 patients, the onset of HUS was preceded by a gastrointestinal (GI) prodrome. All patients had diarrhoea. In 17 (73%), the diarrhoea became bloody; in 20 (86%) there was vomiting; in 15 (65%) there was abdominal pain; and in 12 (50%) all three symptoms were present. Abdominal symptoms continued to complicate the course of 4 patients. Two of these underwent exploratory laparotomy, both had gangrenous colon excised, and both survived. The 2 remaining patients were successfully treated non-operatively. One further patient underwent appendicectomy before the diagnosis of HUS was made. There was 1 death during this epidemic. In patients with HUS and GI involvement, optimal surgical management requires careful consideration of the indications for, and the timing of, surgical intervention.
ISSN:0179-0358
1437-9813
DOI:10.1007/BF00497813