Septicemia secondary to ileus in trauma patients: a human model for bacterial translocation

Paralytic ileus is a common problem in trauma patients. We present two cases of ileus leading to septicemia. Both patients developed sudden septicemia on hospital day six and underwent urgent exploratory laparotomies, and both were found to only have paralytic ileus without evidence of bowel injury or obstruction. We attribute the cause of septicemia to bacterial translocation secondary to ileus.