TRUNCAL VAGOTOMY

Course overview

PEPTIC ULCER DISEASE (PUD) IS A PREVALENT CONDITION IN THE UNITED STATES, AFFECTING 2 PERCENT OF ITS POPULATION. THE TREATMENT OF PUD HAS EVOLVED IN THE LAST CENTURY. UP UNTIL THE LATE 1940S, VAGOTOMY WAS CONSIDERED THE GOLD STANDARD TREATMENT FOR PUD. CURRENTLY, PUD TREATMENT USUALLY INVOLVES ACID-REDUCING MEDICATIONS AND, WHEN THE ORGANISM IS PRESENT, HELICOBACTER PYLORI ERADICATION. ALTHOUGH UNCOMMON, VAGOTOMY MAY STILL PLAY A ROLE IN THE TREATMENT OF COMPLICATED PUD. INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAMS SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH THE SURGERY AND ITS POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS TO PROVIDE EFFECTIVE CARE TO THEIR PATIENTS. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE INDICATIONS, CONTRAINDICATIONS, AND TECHNIQUES INVOLVED IN PERFORMING A VAGOTOMY AND HIGHLIGHTS THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM'S ROLE IN THE PRE-OPERATIVE AND POST-OPERATIVE CARE OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING THIS PROCEDURE.