Post-Operative Peritonitis in the General Surgery Department at the Ignace Deen National Hospital : A Descriptive Study of 67 Cases

Abstract

Aim : To study the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and prognostic aspects of PPO in the General Surgery Department of the Ignace Deen National Hospital, Conakry, Guinea. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study over a 5-year period from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019. It included all patients admitted to the General Surgery Department for postoperative peritonitis or who developed it during their hospitalization. Results: Out of a total of 4,244 laparotomies, we collected 67 cases of postoperative peritonitis, or 1.57%. They represented 13% of all peritonitis treated in the General Surgery Department of the Ignace Deen National Hospital. There was a female predominance, or 54%. The average age of the patients was 28 years. The clinical picture was dominated by abdominal pain, abdominal defense, and fever, which were present in all patients, or 100%. Abdominal ultrasound contributed to the diagnosis in 89.6% of cases. The etiologies were dominated by ileal perforation 43.3%. The procedures performed during surgery were peritoneal toilet 100%, excision + suture 44.7%. The postoperative course was simple in more than half of the cases, i.e. 56.7%. The mortality rate was 19.4%. The prognostic factor was the prolonged time of evolution of PPO P-value = 0.014. Conclusion: Postoperative peritonitis is rare in our department. When it occurs, its morbidity and mortality rates are high.