12 min read
Crohn's Disease Small Bowel Resection Persistent Vegetative State Lack of Informed Consent Outcome Misrepresentation Procedural Complications Delayed InterventionA patient with Crohn’s disease underwent surgery for intestinal obstruction and other complications, after which he remained in a persistent vegetative state.
The patient remained in a persistent vegetative state after surgery.
This was not an emergency operation. Before surgery the patient was already in a severely depleted state, evidenced by recent weight loss of 10 kg and hemoglobin of 82 g/L. Preoperative optimization should have included combined enteral and parenteral nutrition to improve his general condition. Surgical strategy could have begun with a diverting stoma rather than immediate extensive resection. Such an approach would have lowered the risk of serious complications. The resulting persistent vegetative state represents a severe complication.
Had the patient contacted this service at the early stage of his illness while seeking medical care, his Crohn’s disease could have been better controlled, his overall condition improved, and he would have been better able to tolerate any necessary intervention. It is possible that surgery could have been avoided altogether.
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