POST OPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS OF MODIFIED GRAHM PATCH OMENTOPEXY IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PERFORATED DUODENAL ULCER

Background: A Perforated duodenal ulcer is a surgical emergency associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Modified Graham's patch omentopexy is widely used for its management; however, postoperative complications remain an important determinant of clinical outcomes. Objective: To determine the frequency of postoperative complications—wound infection, pneumonia, and septic shock—in patients undergoing modified Graham's patch omentopexy for perforated duodenal ulcer. Study Design: Descriptive study. Setting: Department of Surgery, Mardan Medical Complex, Mardan, Pakistan. Duration of Study: 08 March 2024 to 08 September 2024. Methods: Eighty-three patients with clinical and radiological evidence of perforated duodenal ulcer were included. All underwent modified Graham's patch omentopexy. Postoperative complications (wound infection, pneumonia, and septic shock) were assessed starting from the fifth postoperative day and continued after discharge. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics were applied, and associations with age were evaluated at the p ≤ 0.05 significance level. Results:  The mean age was 51.83 ± 15.52 years, with males comprising 91.6% (n = 76). Wound infection occurred in 12.0% (n = 10), pneumonia in 4.8% (n = 4), and septic shock in 3.6% (n = 3). Septic shock was more common in patients aged >35 and >50 years (p = 0.05). Conclusion: Wound infection was the most frequent postoperative complication, followed by pneumonia and septic shock after modified Graham's patch omentopexy for a perforated duodenal ulcer. Increasing age was associated with a higher risk of septic shock.