ABSTRACT
Background: Post operative generalized peritonitis is a serious complication of abdominal surgery with a high mortality rate. Objectives: 1) To figure out the mortality rate of patients with generalized peritonitis after colon surgery. 2) To discover the risk factors for intensive care. Subjects and method: The retrospective research was conducted on the records of all patients with post-operative generalized peritonitis in Binh Dan Hospital. The patients with generalized peritonitis that were not related to colon surgery were exempted. The data was processed by SPSS. 11.5 software. Results: During 6 years from Jan 1998 to Jan 2004, there were 38 patients (26 men, 12 women) that met the research criteria were included. Ages of patients ranged from 23 to 91, with most of them being 41 years of age or more. The mortality rate was 31.6% (12 cases). There was no difference in mortality rate between male and female. High risk factors included age over 60; underlying malignant disease and late re-operation. Conclusion: The mortality rate of patients with post-operative peritonitis after colon surgery remained high. Intervention as soon as the peritonitis signs were presented (within 24hrs) was an important factor that impacted on prognosis.