FECAL PERITONITIS - THE EFFECT ON ANASTOMOTIC HEALING

The present study evaluates colonic anastomosis healing in the presenc e of fecal peritonitis in rats. After induction of fecal peritonitis, the animals were treated by surgery alone or with the addition of syst emic supportive treatment. It is shown that survival in the latter gro up was significantly better, while burst strength of anastomoses in su rviving animals in both groups was identical. The results suggest that the outcome of fecal peritonitis depends mainly on fluid resuscitatio n and antimicrobial therapy, but not on primary repair.