Abstract
Peritoneal lavage has been found to be of value in the early diagnosis of intraperitoneal injury, and has been of particular help in cases of multiple trauma, or when the patient is unable to cooperate with the examiner. There are, however, several potential sources of error which may lead to unnecessary laparotomy. A series of trauma patients who were seen in the University of Virginia Emergency Department and underwent peritoneal lavage is presented. Of the 48 patients in this study, 5% had false positive lavage (ie, no intraperitoneal injury at the time of exploration). Of the 28 who had a negative lavage, none required exploration during the period of observation. Potential and real sources of misinterpretation, particularly with regard to false positive results, are presented. Methods of avoiding this occurrence are also discussed.
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