Journal of Research in Medical Education & Ethics

  • Year: 2015
  • Volume: 5
  • Issue: 3

Microbial and Etiological Spectrum in Peritonitis in a Tertiary Care Institute of Northern India

1Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, India

2Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, India

3Professor, Department of Microbiology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, India

Abstract

Peritonitis continues to be a major cause of mortality and morbidity in surgical patients. The widely varied etiology of peritonitis and its grave outcome, if not rightly and timely managed; validates a detailed study into its etiology, microbiological pattern and their correlation with final outcome of this condition.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the microbial and etiological spectrum in all cases of peritonitis in last five years and their correlation with clinical outcome.

In 396 patients of this study, the male to female ratio was 2.44: 1, 37.37% patients had primary peritonitis. Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis contributed 96.62% cases of primary peritonitis. Escherichiacoli was commonest organism in both primary (7.69%) and secondary (39.92%) peritonitis. Gastroduodenal perforation was most common (32.66%) cause of secondary peritonitis. 80.59% of terminalileal perforations were of enteric origin.

There is a doubtful role of antibiotics in peritonitis as majority of cultures are found to be sterile. Secondary peritonitis due to small bowel perforation is associated with good outcome with E.coli as the commonest organism; hence empirical antibiotic regimens may be considered.

Keywords

Primary peritonitis, Secondary peritonitis, Microbial spectrum, Etiological spectrum, Peritonitis