Purpose: Various factors have been cited in the morbidity of small bowel resections, but their clinical importance is uncertain. We wanted to know what were the significant risk factors elevating the morbidity and how to reduce the morbidity of
small
bowel resections effectively. Methods: A retrospective study was done for 107 patients who had undergone small bowel resections from Jan. 1992 to Jul. 1999. The patients were evaluated based on sex and age, the cause and site of resection, the
presence
of previous abdominal operations, the morbidity, the mortality, and the cause of death in order to determine their clinical significance for small bowel resections. Also the differences of morbidity were analyzed according to the risk factors of
old
age, pre-op hypotension and hypoalbuminemia, the cause of resection, emergency operation, the presence of a previous abdominal operation, the length of the resection, the presence of associated chronic illness, and spillage of the intestinal
content.
Results: Complications after small bowel resections occurred in 41 cases (38.3%). The morbidity was significantly increased in the cases with associated chronic illness and spillage of intestinal content by perforation combined with strangulation
(p＜0.05). Factors such as old age, hypotension, hypoalbuminemia, cause of resection, emergency operation, the length of the resection and spillage of intestinal contents by simple perforation elevated the morbidity, but this result is not
statistically
significant (0.05＜p＜0.5). Neither the presence of a previous abdominal operation nor traumatic perforation correlated with morbidity (p＞0.5). Conclusions: We concluded that intensive peri-operative care, a rapid and precise operative
technique,
and
the surgeon's efforts can decrease the morbidity and the mortality after small bowel resections. The selection of the high risk patients should be done based on the surgeon's knowledge of the risk factors including associated chronic illness, and
cumulative data obtained by using instituted surveillance for morbidity.
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