Mean platelet volume as a potential prognostic marker in patients with acute mesenteric ischemia-retrospective study

We investigated prognostic parameters of patients who underwent surgical intervention for acute mesenteric ischemia by evaluating demographic characteristics and laboratory data on admission.

The hospital records of 30 patients who underwent surgical interventions due to acute mesenteric ischemia between January 2008 and December 2012, were reviewed retrospectively. The records were investigated with regard to demographic data, the presence of co-morbid diseases, presenting complaints, time elapsed between symptom onset and hospital admission, laboratory findings at admission, findings at surgical exploration, surgical methods used, and treatment outcomes. The patients were divided into two groups, according to death (Group 1) or survival (Group 2), and the two groups were compared in terms of the specified parameters.

Of the patients, 15 were male (50%) and 15 female (50%); their mean age was 71.4 (29-94) years. Abdominal pain was the chief complaint in all patients (100%) and mean time from pain onset to hospital admission was 21 (1-72) h. In abdominal exploration, total small bowel (SB) ischemia and necrosis was found in 6 (20%) patients and other patients had subtotal SB, segmental SB, segmental SB with colon, or isolated colon ischemia. Treatment in 15 patients (50%) ended in mortality. Mean age (p = 0.038), urea (p = 0.002), AST (p < 0.001), ALT (p < 0.001), mean platelet volume (MPV; p = 0.002), and amylase (p = 0.022) levels in Group 1 were significantly higher versus Group 2, whereas Ca (p = 0.024) and albumin (p = 0.002) levels were significantly lower.

In this study, unlike other parameters that have been shown to be of prognostic significance in mesenteric ischemia, MPV values at presentation were higher among non-survivors than survivors.