[Acute mesenteric ischemia as a fatal complication of infectious disease in a high-risk patient: a case report].

Abstract

Acute mesenteric ischemia is a serious problem with high morbidity and mortality rates. Mesenteric ischemia is difficult to diagnose and treat, mainly due to late diagnosis when irreversible changes are already present. The authors present a case of a patient who died after being admitted to an infectious disease department with gastroenteritis subsequently complicated by acute mesenteric ischemia. Crucial for these patients survival are early diagnosis as well as rapid and adequate treatment. There is still no laboratory marker suggesting ongoing intestinal ischemia. The most suitable diagnostic tool seems to be CT angiography combined with surgery to inspect the abdominal cavity. Early diagnosis of acute intestinal ischemia is very difficult because the manifestations are not specific enough and the differential diagnosis is wide. Therefore, it is important to consider visceral ischemia when the differential diagnosis is made.