A 10-year review of surgical management of complicated peptic ulcer disease from a single center: Is laparoscopic approach the future?

Introduction: The discovery of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) as the culprit in peptic ulcer disease (PUD) has revolutionized its management. Despite the presence of effective drug treatments and an increased understanding of its etiology, the percentage of patients who require emergent surgery for complicated disease remains constant at 7% of hospitalized patients. This study aims at reviewing the incidence of complicated PUD and analyze changes in surgical management. Patients and Methods: From January 2002 to September 2012, records of all patients with a clinical or radiologic diagnosis of perforated PUD were evaluated. Short-term and long-term results were assessed with regard to type of surgical intervention. The primary end point was adverse events. Other end points were length of hospital stay, complications, and deaths. Results: Included were 400 patients with a median age of 56 years (range, 17 to 89 y). Of these, males made up 70% (n=280), were older and had more comorbidities. Majority of perforations were located in the prepyloric region (80%) and duodenal bulb (20%). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug alone was involved in 50% of cases and in combination with H. pylori in 84%. H. pylori alone occurred in 40% of cases. Laparoscopic treatment was performed in 48 patients (12%) who remained hemodynamically stable. In the remaining 88% of patients, open approach was used. Simple closure with omentoplasty was performed in 98% and in 2%; definitive anti ulcer procedure was performed. Major complications occurred in 6% with an overall 30-day mortality rate of 2%. Most postoperative morbidity occurred after open approach. One patient who had laparoscopic repair died of other causes unrelated to the gastroduodenal perforation. Among the laparoscopic group, mean hospital stay was 4 days (range, 3 to 7 d), compared with 6 days (5 to 14 d) after open approach. Conclusions: Although the incidence of PUD is decreasing, it appears that among our patients, the incidence of complication is rising. Laparoscopic approach offers an alternative treatment with less pain, shorter hospital stay, and improved complications rate.