1.) The Impact on Patients: Impact of adhesions following initial surgery:
* Small bowel obstruction: Adhesive Disease accounts for 49-74% of small bowel obstructions.1
* Infertility: Adhesive Disease accounts for 15-20% of infertility cases.1
* Chronic pelvic pain: Adhesive Disease accounts for 20-50% of chronic pelvic pain cases.1
* Reduced quality of life1
* Loss of work days and productivity
* Increased risk, complexity and complications during subsequent surgery2
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>One study showed a 19% rate of adhesion-related bowel perforation during subsequent/secondary operations.
>Bowel perforations occur even more frequently (33%) during surgery for SBO.
>Patients with adhesion-related perforations had significantly higher postoperative complications (leaks, wound infections, hemorrhages and length of stay).
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2.) The Impact on Surgeons
* Increased reoperative times3
* Increased risk of enterotomy3
* Increased level of surgical complexity3
References
1 Ray NF, Denton WG, Thamer M, Henderson SC, Perry S. Abdominal adhesiolysis: inpatient care and expenditures in the U.S. in 1994. J. Am. Coll. Surg. 1998; 186(1): 1-9.
2 Van Goor H. Morbidity and mortality of inadvertent enterotomy during an adhesiotomy. British Journal of Surgery 2000; 87: 467-471.
3 Opelka F. Research update on adhesion prevention. Data presented at the 1998 ASCRS Symposium.
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