A patient with thermal skin burns may develop gastrointestinal complications.
Gastrointestinal complications can result in:
(1) gastric and/or duodenal ulcerations
(2) ileus
(3) ischemic necrosis of the bowel wall
(4) perforation with peritonitis
(5) hemorrhage
(6) pneumatosis intestinalis
Intestinal ischemic injury may be followed by ulceration, hemorrhage and/or perforation. Vasoconstriction in the splanchnic circulation may explain the ischemia and this may be mediated by activation of the renin-angiotensin system (Jones, 1991) or the abdominal compartment syndrome (Muschitz et al, 2015). A small percentage of patients may have embolic occlusion.
Risk factors associated with more severe gastrointestinal complications:
(1) sepsis
(2) severe burn injury
(3) extremes of age
(4) pre-existing gastrointestinal disease
(5) multi-organ failure and shock
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