DURATION OF POSTOPERATIVE PNEUMOPERITONEUM

Objective: To find out the duration of postoperative pneumoperitoneum and the factors that are responsible for its persistence. Design: Pros pective open (non-random) study. Setting: County hospital, Denmark. Su bjects: 32 patients over 18 years of age undergoing abdominal operatio ns during a 6 month period. Interventions: Abdominal radiographs with the patient in the left lateral position were taken at fixed time inte rvals until no free air could be seen. Main outcome measures: The amou nt of free air and the time postoperatively by which it had disappeare d. Results: In 20% of the patients the air had disappeared within 48 h ours and only one patient (3%) had free air for more than five days po stoperatively. High body mass index and a small initial amount of free air were associated with the shortest period of postoperative pneumop eritoneum. Conclusion: Postoperative pneumoperitoneum disappeared with in two days in most patients. Heavier patients and patients with small volumes of free air initially had the shortest duration of pneumoperi toneum. There were large variations among patients in the volumes of f ree air.