Short bowel syndrome in patients studied at the National Institute of Pediatrics in Mexico. Care, cost and perspectives.

BACKGROUND

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) continues to be one of the most challenging problems in pediatric surgery. Intestinal transplantation (IT) seems to be the best form of treatment for this pathology. However, it is thought that the development of an IT program may be more expensive than the present manner of treatment.

METHODS

To assess this item, and to identify potential candidates for IT, we reviewed the charts of all the patients with SBS treated at our Institute from 1989 to 1994.

RESULT: Nine patients were identified as carriers of SBS; six with intestinal atresia, two with midgut volvulus and one with post-traumatic mesenteric thrombosis. The small bowel remnants varied from 1 to 80 cm, seven patients had remnants shorter than 30 cm, and the ileocecal valve was resected in three.

RESULTS

The overall morbidity and mortality was extremely high; four patients died within the first 3 months postresection and those still alive have had several complications: sepsis; hydroelectrolyte imbalances secondary to loose stools; thrombosis or infection of the catheter; TPN-related cholestasis, and malabsorption syndromes, etc. No patient survived with an intestinal remnant shorter than 15 cm. Of the five survivors, four have a weight/age deficit greater than 40%, two have rickets, one still depends on TPN and all, except one, require special enteral diets. Multiple central venous accesses had to be performed in every patient (mean 4.8). They all required multiple readmissions and have spent a considerable part of their lives as inpatients. The mean of the calculated cost per patient was $50,000 USD, while the minimal wage in Mexico is $1,616 USD/year (1).

CONCLUSIONS

The shorter the segment of the retained bowel and the longer the survival, the higher the cost. These results may be further improved with the development of IT and, probably, with the same economic burden.