Mesenteric Ischemia in the Emergency Department: a Retrospective Multicenter Study
Mesenteric Ischemia in the Emergency Department: a Retrospective Multicenter Study
Acute mesenteric ischemia is a life-threatening condition characterized by high mortality if
 unrecognized early. This multicenter retrospective observational study will review the
 emergency departments's (ED) notes of all patients discharged from hospital with a diagnosis
 of acute mesenteric ischemia in 2014-2015 comparing it with those admitted to the ED for
 abdominal pain in the same timeframe.
Acute mesenteric ischemia is a condition characterized by non-specific presentation (typical
 clinical presentation is considered "abdominal pain out of proportion to examination") that
 may be under-recognized in the Emergency Department. Early identification and treatment is
 essential to improve outcome as mortality rate is attested around 80% if untreated within few
 hours from onset. The investigators aim to review the emergency department's clinical notes
 of patients discharged from hospital in 2014 and 2015 diagnosed with acute mesenteric
 ischemia. Furthermore the investigators will consider patients admitted for "abdominal pain"
 in the same time frame without acute mesenteric ischemia and we will compare presentation
 symptoms, medical history, medications, vitals, laboratory markers and imaging finding of the
 two groups. From this comparison, the investigators will be able to clarify the incidence
 among general population and among patients presenting acute abdominal pain. Finally, using
 multivariate analysis, the investigators may identify those variables predictive of acute
 mesenteric ischemia. This study will be held in three university hospitals and all data
 analyzed together.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  ICD-9 diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia in 2014 and 2015

 -  Admitted to hospital after Emergency Department assessment

 -  age>18

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  age<18

 -  post-traumatic or post-surgery related acute mesenteric ischemia

 -  lack of assessment in the Emergency Department