Perforated peptic ulcer: an analysis of 246 cases.

An analysis of 246 cases of perforated peptic ulcer, treated at the Royal Newcastle Hospital from 1964 to 1974, is presented. The incidence has fallen considerably over that period. The rising proportion of women has reached a plateau. A perforated peptic ulcer in an Australian women is still just as likely to be located in the stomach as in the duodenum. In men, however, 84% of perforations are pyloroduodenal. A perforated gastric ulcer is closely associated with the use of salicylate preparations. The mortality rate has remained steady at 15% over the last 30 years. It is significantly higher in women. There is a highly significant relationship between the mortality and (a) the duration of perforation; and (b) the size of the perforation, particularly if it is located in the stomach.