Characterization of patients over 60 years old with intestinal occlusion attended in Clinical Surgical Teaching Hospital “Dr. León Cuervo Rubio”

Introduction: intestinal obstruction is defined as the set of symptoms and signs resulting from an interruption of intestinal transit. Objective: to surgically characterize patients over 60 years old with a diagnosis of intestinal occlusion attended Dr. León Cuervo Rubio Clinical Surgical Teaching Hospital between 2017 and 2019. Methods: an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with a diagnosis of mechanical intestinal occlusion, attended the Emergency Department at Dr. León Cuervo Rubio Clinical Surgical Teaching Hospital, between 2017 and 2019. The sample consisted of 252 patients. Results: male sex (52,77 %) and the age group between 60 and 64 years (26,98 %) predominated; 21 % of the patients presented abdominal pain. The main causes of intestinal occlusion were flanges and adhesions (36,9 %) and tumors (30,9 %). A total of 37,3 % of the patients were treated by lysis of flanges; 77,38 % showed a favorable evolution. The main complications were respiratory disorders (20,63 %) and sepsis (11,11 %). Conclusions: adults over 60 years old, mainly male, were prone to the development of intestinal occlusion; where pain was the main reason for attending health services. Flanges and adhesions were the main causes of occlusion, requiring lysis of the flanges as an intervention. Despite the high percentage of patients with favorable evolution, respiratory complications and sepsis were reported.