Acute Bowel Obstruction in a Rural Hospital in Northern in Northern Uganda.

Background: The aim of the study is to find the aetiology and outcome of bowel obstruction treatment in St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor vis-à-vis other centres in the world.
Methods: A retrospective review of patients’ files from January 2007 to December 2008 was done. The variables studied were age, sex, duration of symptoms, cause of obstruction, bowel resection, length of hospital stay, postoperative complications and mortality.
Results: There were 132 patients with a mean age of 31.5years and M:F ratio of 2.2:1. Duration of symptoms ranged from 1 – 14days with a mean of 4days. The leading cause of obstruction was Hernias in 53(40.2%) patients followed by Adhesions in 27(20.5%). Gut volvulus was third in 23(17.4%) patients. Bowel resection rate was at 48.5%. Length of stay ranged from 1 – 39 days with a mean of 8 days. The commonest complication was wound sepsis ± dehiscence (50%). Morbidity rate was 24.2%. Mortality rate was 12.9% with 100% case fatality rate for neonatal intestinal atresia.
Conclusion:Obstructed/strangulated hernias rather than Adhesions are still a leading cause of bowel obstruction.