Diseases Causing Liver Failure, Brain Dysfunction Getting Common: Experts At AIIMS-Bhubaneswar Symposium

Bhubaneswar: Gastrointestinal emergencies constitute a major chunk of the burden of medical emergencies in any hospital. These include bleeding from the upper and lower digestive tracts, liver diseases leading to liver failure and brain dysfunction, said experts at a symposium held at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

Also among these are acute pancreatitis, obstruction of the biliary tract by stones or malignancies causing jaundice, fever and sepsis, ingestion of foreign objects like coins and acute severe ulcerative colitis.

Understanding and learning management of these medical emergencies is the need of the hour, they said.

The symposium on “What is new in Gastrointestinal Emergencies: An Evidence Based Approach” was organised by the Department of Gastroenterology, AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

The purpose of holding the event is to educate young and upcoming doctors, physicians and surgeons about the nuances of managing Gastrointestinal Emergencies in order to improve patient care at all levels, informed Dr Manas Kumar Panigrahi, Organising Chairman of the symposium and Associate Prof Department of Gastroenterology, AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

Starting from tertiary care at centers like AIIMS Bhubaneswar, SCB Medical College, Cuttack as well as district hospitals and health centers, physicians, surgeons, gastroenterologists, doctors from other specialties, residents as well as medical students should learn new Gastrointestinal Emergencies. Now-a-days, patients with chronic liver diseases are landing in emergencies with a variety of presentations like coma, respiratory failure and bleeding requiring prompt attention and care, stressed experts attending the symposium.

Other Gastrointestinal emergencies like blood vomiting, black stool and blood in stool also put common people in a lot of confusing scenarios seeking appropriate point of care treatment.

A galaxy of experts in Gastroenterology and Hepatology from different institutes attending the programme emphasised on creating sensitisation among different cadres of specialists.

The event was graced by eminent Gastroenterologist and President AIIMS Bhubaneswar Prof Subrat Kumar Acharya, AIIMS Bhubaneswar Medical Superintendent Dr Dillip Kumar Parida, DEAN Dr P R Mohapatra, Dr Binod Kumar Patra, Gastroenterology Department HoD Dr S C Samal.

AIIMS Bhubaneswar Executive Director Prof Ashutosh Biswas hoped that this symposium will provide much needed impetus to the domain of Gastrointestinal Emergency Care in the institutes of this region and Odisha.