Rare case of adhesive large bowel obstruction in acute burn patient: management of open abdomen with ABTHERA ADVANCE™ Open Abdomen Dressing

Abstract

Large bowel obstructions (LBO) are rarely caused by adhesions. Surgical management of this condition may require an open approach but closure may not always be possible. There are many temporizing measures in clinical use; however, the ABTHERA ADVANCE™ Open Abdomen Dressing has demonstrated significantly improved outcomes compared to other negative pressure wound therapy dressings. There are few cases in the literature documenting adhesive LBO and none in an acutely unwell burn patient whose abdomen subsequently required the ABTHERA ADVANCE™ Open Abdomen Dressing. We emphasize the importance of considering adhesive LBO as a differential in bowel obstruction and highlight a novel but effective way of managing it in our unique case.