Acute mesenteric ischemia

Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is an uncommon yet life-threatening syndrome with a grave prognosis. Despite advancements in readily available diagnostics and improvements in the ability to care for critically ill patients, patients presenting with AMI face a mortality rate approaching 65 % [1-3]. This high predicted mortality has remained relatively unchanged over the past several decades even in the era of evolving endovascular approaches to management of AMI. While the reasons for this stubborn trend are likely multifactorial, failure of physicians to quickly recognize symptoms of AMI on presentation most likely drives these devastating outcomes. Once the diagnosis of AMI is entertained, prompt diagnostic studies and swift therapeutic interventions are essential to successful treatment. With any delay in intervention, AMI leads to bowel necrosis, inciting a cascade of both local organ injury and remote organ system dysfunction, which is most often irreversible and fatal.