A STUDY OF OPEN PERITONEAL DRAINAGE AS A TREATMENT FOR ADVANCED PERITONITIS

Abstract

We performed open peritoneal drainage in four patients who showed septic shock symptoms because of an intraperitoneal abscess due to postoperatively insufficient suture. Mostly the effects and indications of the drainage method were studied. The procedure of this method was simple: In a ward, the surgical wound was opened to the abdominal cavity. The purpose of this method is to drain the main infected lesion. Although it is less effective for a small absces between adhered intestinal canals, it can become an accepted method for improving systemic morbid conditions such as endotoxemia. Indications for this method are restricted to such postoperative cases as severely insufficient suture probably showing endotoxemia. In other cases of advanced peritonitis, a surgical drainage is selected even in the septic condition. Its problems involve a risk of eventration, intestinal atresia due to peristalsis failure of the exposed intestinal tract, etc. None of these problems was observed in our patients. In two of the patients, the exposed intestinal tract had been covered with granulation and epidermis with the control of the infection and the opened wound closed spontaneously except for the enteroproctia.