Abdominal complication following femoral fracture: a case report of acute obstructive abdomen in an elderly patient

Complicación abdominal tras fractura de fémur: reporte de un abdomen agudo obstructivo en adulto mayor

Authors

  • Diego Patricio Palacios-Vintimilla Universidad Católica de Cuenca. Cuenca, Ecuador.
  • Domenica Patricia Palacios-Mora Universidad Católica de Cuenca. Cuenca, Ecuador.
  • Sofía del Carmen Abad-Espinoza Universidad Católica de Cuenca. Cuenca, Ecuador.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22258/hgh.2026.101.278

Abstract

Femur fracture in older adults is a highly prevalent traumatic event that carries an elevated risk of perioperative complications and mortality. The objective of this report is to highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach and close monitoring to detect atypical and potentially fatal complications in the postoperative period of orthopedic surgery. We describe the case of a 75-year-old man with a history of chronic alcoholism and smoking who was admitted after a fall that resulted in a right femur fracture. Following open reduction and internal fixation, the patient developed an acute obstructive abdomen. During exploratory laparotomy, a necrotic segment of terminal ileum was identified, requiring resection and ileocolic anastomosis. The clinical course was further complicated by nosocomial infections and renal dysfunction. Nevertheless, thanks to timely surgical intervention and comprehensive management in the intensive care unit, the patient progressed favorably until hospital discharge. The relevance of this case lies in illustrating how an unusual abdominal complication can alter the clinical course of a geriatric patient after orthopedic surgery. It also reinforces the need to implement protocols for surveillance, early diagnosis, and interdisciplinary coordination to optimize clinical outcomes. Keywords: Hip Fractures; Acute, Abdomen;  Intestinal Obstruction;  Ileum; Necrosis; Postoperative Complications (Source: MeSH, NLM).

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Diego Patricio Palacios-Vintimilla, Universidad Católica de Cuenca. Cuenca, Ecuador.

Especialista en cirugia general, Diploma superior en desarrollo local y salud,  Magister en gerencia de salud para el desarrollo local. Hospital de Especialidades José Carrasco Arteaga, Universidad Católica de Cuenca. Cuenca, Ecuador.

Domenica Patricia Palacios-Mora, Universidad Católica de Cuenca. Cuenca, Ecuador.

Médico general. Hospital de Especialidades José Carrasco Arteaga, Universidad Católica de Cuenca. Cuenca, Ecuador.   

Sofía del Carmen Abad-Espinoza, Universidad Católica de Cuenca. Cuenca, Ecuador.

Médico general. Hospital de Especialidades José Carrasco Arteaga, Universidad Católica de Cuenca. Cuenca, Ecuador.  

References

Veronese N, Maggi S. Epidemiology and social costs of hip fracture. Injury. 2018; 49(8):1458-1460. DOI: 10.1016/j.injury.2018.04.015.

Dyer SM, Crotty M, Fairhall N, Magaziner J, Beaupre LA, Cameron ID, et al. A critical review of the long-term disability outcomes following hip fracture. BMC Geriatr 2016;16:158. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-016-0332-0.

Nessen SC, Le TD, Gurney JM. Combat casualty care statistics as outcome measures for medical treatment on the battlefield: A review and reconsideration of the data. Curr Trauma Rep 2019; 5:187–94. DOI: 10.1007/s40719-019-00177-3.

Simou E, Britton J, Leonardi-Bee J. Alcohol and the risk of pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open 2018; 8:e022344. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-022344.

Garona J, Sobol NT, Alonso DF. Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in colorectal cancer: Potential use of perioperative desmopressin to reduce allogenic blood transfusion rates. J Gastrointest Surg 2017; 21:1971–3. DOI: 10.1007/s11605-017-3551-6.

Jawitz OK, Bradford WT, McConnell G, Engel J, Allender JE, Williams JB. How to start an enhanced recovery after surgery cardiac program. Crit Care Clin 2020; 36:571–9. DOI: 10.1016/j.ccc.2020.07.001.

Aldhafeeri E, Alshammari F, Jafar H, Malhas H, Botras M, Alnasrallah N, et al. Period prevalence and factors associated with road traffic crashes among young adults in Kuwait. Injury 2018; 49:939–44. DOI: 10.1016/j.injury.2018.01.030.

Flores-Mireles AL, Walker JN, Caparon M, Hultgren SJ. Urinary tract infections: epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options. Nat Rev Microbiol 2015; 13:269–84. DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro3432.

Becker K, Heilmann C, Peters G. Coagulase-negative staphylococci. Clin Microbiol Rev 2014; 27:870–926. DOI: 10.1128/CMR.00109-13.

Wagner N, Relja B, Lustenberger T, Leiblein M, Wutzler S, Lefering R, et al. The influence of alcohol on the outcome of trauma patients: a matched-pair analysis of the TraumaRegister DGU®. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg 2020; 46:463–72. DOI: 10.1007/s00068-019-01231-0.

Li C-H, Chang Y-H, Chou M-C, Chen C-H, Ho B-L, Hsieh S-W, et al. Factors of post-stroke dementia: A nationwide cohort study in Taiwan. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19:815–22. DOI: 10.1111/ggi.13725.

Armbruster CE, Mobley HLT, Pearson MM. Pathogenesis of Proteus mirabilis Infection. EcoSal Plus. 2018;8(1):10.1128/ecosalplus.ESP-0009-2017. DOI: 10.1128/ecosalplus.ESP-0009-2017.

Michels R, Last K, Becker SL, Papan C. Update on coagulase-negative staphylococci-what the clinician should know. Microorganisms 2021; 9:830. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9040830.

Thingstad P, Taraldsen K, Saltvedt I, Sletvold O, Vereijken B, Lamb SE, et al. The long-term effect of comprehensive geriatric care on gait after hip fracture: the Trondheim Hip Fracture Trial--a randomised controlled trial. Osteoporos Int 2016; 27:933–42. DOI: 10.1007/s00198-015-3313-9.

Zaboli Mahdiabadi M, Farhadi B, Shahroudi P, Mohammadi M, Omrani A, Mohammadi M, et al. Prevalence of surgical site infection and risk factors in patients after knee surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int Wound J 2024; 21:e14765. DOI: 10.1111/iwj.14765.

Downloads

Published

2026-03-15

How to Cite

Palacios-Vintimilla, D. P., Palacios-Mora, D. P., & Abad-Espinoza, S. del C. (2026). Abdominal complication following femoral fracture: a case report of acute obstructive abdomen in an elderly patient : Complicación abdominal tras fractura de fémur: reporte de un abdomen agudo obstructivo en adulto mayor. Peruvian Journal of Health Care and Global Health, 10(1), 41–45. https://doi.org/10.22258/hgh.2026.101.278

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Case reports

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Diego Patricio Palacios-Vintimilla, Domenica Patricia Palacios-Mora, Sofía del Carmen Abad-Espinoza

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  • The authors will retain their copyright and will guarantee to the journal right of first publication of their work, which will simultaneously be under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License that allows third parties to share the work whenever attribuying their author and first publication in this journal.
  • The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a pre-publication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access).