title: Severe secondary peritonitis following gastrointestinal tract perforation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Early prognostic evaluation of abdominal sepsis is useful in the assessment of the severity of the disease and to select high-risk patients for early surgical reintervention. The aim of this study was to identify prognostic factors in a well-defined patient population most likely to benefit from early reoperation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of 66 consecutive patients with secondary peritonitis caused by gastrointestinal tract perforation and requiring postoperative treatment in an intensive care unit was performed using univariate and multivariate analysis to identify risk factors for hospital mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall hospital mortality rate was 36 %. Significant risk factors in the univariate analysis included advanced age (p = 0.000), pre-existing illness (p = 0.000), chronic medication (p = 0.028), hospital transfer (p = 0.036), non-traumatic cause of perforation (p = 0.031), high Mannheim peritonitis index (MPI) score (p = 0.001), and high C-reactive protein (CRP) level in the early postoperative phase (p = 0.015). In a multivariate analysis, only advanced age (odds ratio 1.1008, p = 0.000) and high postoperative CRP level (odds ratio 1.0095, p = 0.008) were identified as independent prognostic factors for hospital mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In addition to factors associated with the physiological reserve of the patient, type of peritonitis and high MPI score, elevated CRP levels in the early postoperative phase in patients operated for severe secondary peritonitis have prognostic significance. However, before a properly designed randomized study on the value of planned relaparotomy in secondary peritonitis can be initiated, more reliable methods to identify high-risk patients need to be found.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Meilahti hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mulari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leppäniemi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000209:etiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013270:Stomach / Q000293:injuries*
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein