Causes of Intestinal Obstruction at Tertiary Care Hospital

Objective: To analyze the etiological factors contributing to intestinal obstruction among patients admitted to a tertiary care Hospital. Study design and setting: This descriptive cases series study was done at the general surgery department of PUMHS. Study duration: From April 2021 to March 2022 Methods: Patients aged 15 years and older of either gender presenting with signs and symptoms indicative of intestinal obstruction or confirmed diagnosis of intestinal obstruction through imaging modalities (e.g., CT scans, X-rays) or surgical exploration were included. Data collection was involved a multi-faceted approach, including the thorough review of medical records, direct patient interviews, and the analysis of radiological and laboratory results. Relevant variables such as demographic information, medical history, presenting symptoms, and diagnostic findings were collected and documented. Data analysis was done by using SPSS version 26. Results: In this study involving 70 cases of intestinal obstruction, the mean age of the participants was 34.0 ± 7.43 years, with a male-female distribution of 57.1% and 42.9%, respectively. Causative factors identified encompassed adhesions (22.9%), hernias (8.6%), tumors (20.0%), volvulus (2.9%), foreign body-related obstruction (8.6%), strictures (8.6%), tuberculosis (17.1%), and urogenital bands (2.9%). Interestingly, 25% of cases reported a history of smoking, and 2.5% had a history of alcohol consumption. Importantly, the study found that the identified causative factors showed no statistically significant association with age and gender (p > 0.05). Conclusion: This study revealed a diverse range of causative factors including adhesions, tumors, and tuberculosis emerged as significant contributors, along with other factors like as hernias, volvulus, foreign bodies, strictures, and urogenital bands. Importantly, a notable proportion of the male patients had history of smoking.