Clinical efficacy observation of SOP-based Gu’s Surgical Specialty Therapy for Fournier’s gangrene*

[Objectives] To investigate the clinical effect of Gu’s Surgical Specialty Therapy based on standard operating procedure (SOP) in the treatment of Fournier’s gangrene. [Methods] A retrospective study was conducted on 94 patients with Fournier’s gangrene admitted to the Department of Anorectal Surgery, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from August 2003 to January 2023. Seven patients who did not undergo surgery were excluded, leaving 87 cases for analysis. Depending on whether or not SOP was used, 43 patients admitted from August 2003 to December 2019 were used as the control group (Gu’s Surgical Specialty Therapy), and 44 patients admitted from January 2020 to June 2022 were used as the observation group (SOP-based Gu’s Surgical Specialty Therapy). Surgery-related indicators (interval from admission to surgery, operation duration, hospital stay), reoperation rate, postoperative use of traditional Chinese medicine and in-hospital mortality were compared between the two groups. [Results] The observation group had shorter interval from admission to surgery and hospital stay compared to the control group (P<0.05), with no significant difference in operation duration (P>0.05). The reoperation rate was significantly lower in the observation group [2.3% (1/44) vs. 16.3% (7/43); χ2=5.109, P=0.024]. During postoperative hospitalization, patients in the control group abstained from traditional Chinese medicine therapy due to dietary restrictions, whereas 40 cases (90.9%) in the observation group received traditional Chinese medicine treatment. In-hospital mortality rate showed no significant difference [11.4% (5/44) vs. 11.6% (5/43); χ2=0.001, P=0.969]. [Conclusion] SOP-based Gu’s Surgical Specialty Therapy improves clinical outcomes in Fournier’s gangrene by shortening treatment cycles and reducing reoperation rates.