Gastrointestinal complications after transperitoneal abdominal aortic surgery.

A major gastrointestinal complication after transperitoneal aortic surgery, though unusual, may be disastrous. We determined retrospectively the risk factors, associated events, and outcomes of gastrointestinal complications that developed after transperitoneal aortic revascularization to treat aneurysmal or occlusive disease over a 10-year period. Among 750 patients reviewed, gastrointestinal complications developed postoperatively in 65 of them (8.6%), including paralytic ileus in 35 patients, gastrointestinal bleeding and mechanical ileus in 6 patients each, colonic necrosis in 2, ischemic colitis and diarrhea in 10, acute cholecystitis in 2, ascites in 1, as well as aortoduodenal fistula, which developed about 2 months postoperatively in 3 patients. Five of the patients died of multiorgan failure. Mean stay in the intensive care unit was 3 days, and hospital stay ranged from 15 to 60 days. No risk factors were identified for the occurrence of gastrointestinal complications. These results show that gastrointestinal complications after transperitoneal aortic surgery prolong hospital stay and may have serious consequences.