Zentralblatt für Chirurgie
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Complications of gastroduodenal ulcers such as bleeding and perforation have been afflicted with a mortality of up to 40 % in the past. Altered ulcer manifestation by improvement of medical treatment as well as advances in surgical techniques and intensive care medicine might currently have improved the outcome of these severely ill patients. ⋯ Altered ulcer manifestation, minimized surgical therapy and improved intensive care medicine led to a recent reduction in postoperative mortality of patients suffering from perforated or bleeding gastroduodenal ulcer. A further reduction of this still high mortality might be expected by improvement of surgical training and/or restriction of therapy to a limited number of surgeons.