PATCHY SMALL BOWEL ISCHAEMIA SECONDARY TO SEPSIS

Insufficient blood perfusion to the small bowel may result from arterial occlusion by embolus or thrombosis, thrombosis of the venous system, or non-occlusive processes such as vasospasm or low cardiac output. Patterns of segmental, skipped, or patchy small bowel ischaemia have been reported post abdominal aortic aneurysm repair and is thought to imply that microembolisation has played an important role1. Microvascular thrombi in various organs can result from disseminated intravascular coagulation2. We present a case of patchy small bowel ischaemia in a septic patient who had developed evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation.