Effects of peritoneal lavage and dry cleaning on bacterial translocation in a model of peritonitis developed using cecal ligation and puncture.

BACKGROUND: Currently, all progress in diagnostic techniques, surgical techniques, antibiotherapy, and intensive care units is accompanied by a decrease in the mortality due to severe secondary peritonitis; however, the rate is still unacceptably high. To remove the source of peritonitis, a surgeon has several options, such as closure, exclusion, and resection, depending on the preference of the surgeon and the condition of the patient. The aim of this study is to determine the rates of bacterial translocation by comparing the dry cleaning method (gauze squeezed with saline) and peritoneal lavage method (cleaning with saline), which are among the peritoneal cleaning methods.

METHODS: A total of 64 rats were studied as sham, control, dry cleaning, and saline cleaning groups. Only laparotomy was performed in the sham group, and cecal ligation puncture was performed in the control group. After ligation puncture operations in the other two groups, one of them was subjected to dry cleaning and the other to isotonic cleaning. The samples obtained from the liver, spleen, and mesothelium were sacrificed and cultured under aerobic and anaerobic environments.

RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the anaerobic bacterial counts, although there was a significant difference in the results of the aerobic bacterial counts in liver, spleen, and mesothelium samples on comparing the dry cleaning and saline cleaning groups.

CONCLUSION: According to our study, the cleaning of intraabdominal infections with dry gauze is more effective than the cleaning with physiological saline for the elimination of aerobic bacteria. There is no difference observed with respect to the anaerobic bacterial counts.