Non-operative management of gastric perforation secondary to cardiopulmonary resuscitation

We report the case of a 72-year-old male who suffered a cardiac arrest during an early positive treadmill stress test. After successful resuscitation the patient had evidence of a gastric perforation. Because of his hemodynamic stability, lack of peritoneal signs, and prohibitively high surgical risk, a non-operative management approach was successfully administered. Although not the standard approach to traumatic gastric perforation, this case is not unlike the management of peptic ulcer perforations. A non-operative approach should be considered as an option in selected patients.