Risk factors affecting the mortality in acute gastric mucosal lesions

Forty-five patients with acute gastric mucosal lesions (AGML), operated on in a 15-year period (1976-1990) were retrospectively analyzed to assess the factors affecting the mortality. The operative mortality rate was 37.78%. Univariate and multivariate analysis were done to demonstrate if any of the previously derived set of 15 clinical variables was related to the operative mortality. The clinical variables used were age, sex, indication of initial hospitalization, hypotension, recent operation, NSAID use, AGML prophylaxis, transfusion, recent upper Gl bleeding, concurrent major medical illness, concurrent sepsis, type of operation, postoperative complication, rebleeding, and reoperation for AGML. Mean age, major medical illness, postoperative complication, rebleeding, and reoperation were found to affect the prognosis according to the univariate analysis. Only postoperative complication and concurrent major medical illness were significant factors affecting the mortality when multivariate analysis was done. Further analysis showed that concurrent major medical illness and initial indication of hospitalization were the significant factors among the studied variables affecting the postoperative complication rate. The type of operation did not alter the prognosis.