Superior Mesenteric Arterial Embolectomy

Mesenteric arterial occlusion as a vascular emergency

“…The hope that this mortality would be substantially reduced by the use of anticoagulant drugs and antibiotics has not been realized. Although scattered reports of cases treated successfully by direct arterial surgery have come from various centres in the United States (Shaw and Rutledge, 1957;Miller and DiMare, 1958;Shaw and Maynard, 1958;Saris and Uricchio, 1960;Stewart, Sweetman, Westphal, and Wise, 1960;Zuidema, 1961;Brittain and Earley, 1963), it is believed that this is the first recorded instance in this country.…”

Mesenteric infarction as a vascular emergency the clinical problems

“…Because the diagnosis is reached relatively early in the disease, it is among these cases of embolic mesenteric occlusion that the most favourable cases for surgery by embolectomy are found. Several successes have been reported in the literature (Shaw and Rutledge, 1957;Miller and DiMare, 1958;Saris and Uricchio, 1960;Stewart, Sweetman, Westphal, and Wise, 1960;Zuidema, 1961;Hardy, 1962).…”

“…Hopes that the serum potassium level might likewise be raised because of existing bowel ischaemia have not been realized, nor has the estimation of lactic acid dehydrogenase proved helpful (Sherman, 1961). The presence of a marked leucocytosis early in the disease has been reported on several occasions (Wilson and Block, 1956; Saris and Uricchio, 1960)~ but possibly such an observation is not specific enough to be regarded as a significant aid in diagnosis. A more rewarding approach may be the study of radio-activity curves obtained over the abdomen after the intravenous injection of P1labelled human serum albumin.…”

Recovery of intestinal function after successful superior mesenteric embolectomy

“…Shaw and Rutledge (1957)~ Miller and D i Mare (1999, Saris and Uricchio (1960)~ Atwell (1961), de Niord and Pugh (1961), Zuidema (1961), Baue and Austen (1963), and Hardy (1963). Three of these authors describe diarrhoea developing in their patients after operation, but in the other cases there is no record of postoperative bowel function.…”