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Small bowel obstruction (SBO) does not always require surgery (i.e., partial or incomplete SBO). Triage of SBO patients varies by institution, and many patients are admitted to nonsurgical services for initial management, with surgical consultation at the discretion of the medical team. However, lack of standardized triage and treatment recommendations and concern about possible delays in surgical intervention and extended hospital length of stay (LOS) led researchers in Michigan to evaluate a local triage and management guideline for patients with suspected SBO.
As a result of the guideline implementation (table), SBO admissions to the internal medicine service decreased significantly (45% before vs. 34% after implementation), with a concom…
