Severe gastrointestinal bleeding resulting in total gastrectomy in a patient with major burns--a case report

Gastrointestinal hemorrhage is a known but rare complication of major burns. This case report describes the management of this potentially life threatening problem in a young adult with 45% body surface area burns who developed massive gastrointestinal-tract bleeding. The patient required a total gastrectomy that was complicated by a burst abdomen. Despite undergoing a series of major insults. the patient survived and was eventually discharged from hospital with an acceptable level of morbidity. The problems faced by the burn centre team and the issues involved in the decision making process are discussed in the management of this unusually devastating complication.