Related Experiment Videos
Subphrenic abscess in children
Insights
This study analyzed 19 pediatric subphrenic abscess cases from 1962-1972. Subphrenic abscesses remain a serious surgical complication with a significant mortality rate in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Abdominal Infections
Background:
- Subphrenic abscesses are serious complications following intra-abdominal surgery.
- Historically, these infections have carried a grave prognosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze pediatric subphrenic abscess cases treated over a decade.
- To assess the prognosis and clinical characteristics of subphrenic abscess in children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 19 consecutive pediatric cases.
- Data collected from Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow (1962-1972).
Main Results:
- A mortality rate of 21% was observed in pediatric subphrenic abscess cases.
- Two deaths were directly attributed to the abscess, with two unrelated.
- Survivors experienced a prolonged hospital stay, averaging 59 days.
Conclusions:
- Subphrenic abscess remains a critical surgical complication in pediatric patients.
- The patterns of etiology and presentation in this pediatric series did not align with recent trends in adult general surgery.
Abstract:
Nineteen consecutive cases of subphrenic abscess which were treated in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, from 1962 to 1972 are analyzed. This complication of intra-abdominal suppuration of surgery still carries a grave prognosis. Four of the patients died (21 per cent); 2 deaths were related to the subphrenic abscess while the remaining 2 were not directly related to the abscess. The mean hospital stay of the survivors was 59 days (range 30-122 days). The changing patterns of aetiology and presentation which have recently been emphasized in general surgical practice are not reflected in this paediatric series.