[SURGICAL TREATMENT OF POSTOPERATORY GASTROINTESTINAL FISTULAS]

A prospective 10-year protocol is reported. Twenty-eight patients were operated from postoperatory intercutaneous fistulas by the same surgeon. They were treated at a Surgical Referral Unit of Artificial Nutritional Support (SNA), acronym in Spanish from 284 patients with similar fistulas. Survival was of 85.7 per cent (24/28). A 92.9 per cent of patients (26/28) required SNA either enteral and/or parenteral. Three major aspects should be considered: First, the vital importance on an Artificial Nutritional Support team in order to attain nutritional repletion with the lowest possible morbimortality derived from a Phamacological Nutritional Support. Second, should surgical treatment be unsuccessful, multiple organ failure is the main cause of mortality. Third, surgical decision making shoul be based on established protocols.An adequate SNA is of major importance to avoid or decrease morbimortality derived from postoperatory fistulas, and at the same time, it is the cornerstone to resolve this complication surgically.