Case 7: Delayed/missed diagnosis ends in perforated ischaemic bowel General surgery CASE SUMMARY A male in his early 50s presented with worsening intermittent abdominal pain occurring over the preceding few weeks. There was history of diarrhoea with no obvious blood, and intermittent vomiting. A colonoscopy had been performed two weeks previously, identifying inflammation in the caecum. Biopsies of this were non-specific. Medical history included testicular cancer 15 years ago, bilateral inguinal hernia repairs, CVA in 2015, emphysema, epilepsy and a non-specific psychiatric disorder. Initial assessment showed the patient to be afebrile and cachectic. His abdomen was soft, with tenderness in the right iliac fossa. Pain was described as severe. CRP was 229 and white cell count (WCC) 14.3. He was transferred to the treating hospital that evening and seen in ED. At that time, he was hypertensive with pulse rate (PR) 80 beats per minute (BPM). A CT scan showed dilated small and large bowel with maximum diameter of the small bowel 4 cm. No obvious transition point was seen and there was no free fluid or air. The patient was admitted under the general medical unit. The surgical registrar assessed the patient near midnight on the following day, as he was complaining of severe abdominal pain requiring morphine. The abdomen was soft with no distension and mild lower abdominal tenderness. A presumed diagnosis of enteritis was made, and the patient continued treatment under the medical team. He was reviewed by the surgical team, including the consultant, the following morning (BP 159/100 mm Hg, PR 77 BPM). The abdomen was soft with tenderness on the right side and no evidence of peritonitis. There was no evidence of abdominal collection or obstruction. An opinion from the gastroenterology team was obtained. The main concern at that time was abdominal pain and distension. The patient had become significantly hypertensive with BP 171/106 mm Hg. CRP had risen to 260 and WCC remained high. There had been no bowel motions for the last three days. It was concluded that the patient had an ileus. The patient had a further assessment by the surgical registrar 36 hours later. PR had risen to 99 BPM and abdominal distension was noted. The patient had some vomiting, and a nasogastric tube was inserted. Six hours later he collapsed, with a BP of 86/40 mm Hg and PR of 124 BPM. His abdomen was distended and there were
VOLUME 18 | NOVEMBER 2020
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