Professional Documents
Culture Documents
and the organs contained therein. The peritoneum, which is an otherwise sterile environment,
reacts to various pathologic stimuli with a fairly uniform inflammatory response. Depending on
the underlying pathology, the resultant peritonitis may be infectious or sterile (ie, chemical or
mechanical). Intra-abdominal sepsis is an inflammation of the peritoneum caused by pathogenic
microorganisms and their products.[1] The inflammatory process may be localized (abscess) or
diffuse in nature.
Swelling and tenderness in the abdomen with pain ranging from dull aches to severe,
sharp pain
Loss of appetite
Thirst
Less urine
Diagnosis
Peritonitis is an emergency and can be life threatening. Your doctor will do a physical
examination to see whether you need surgery to fix the underlying problem. The doctor will
feel and press your abdomen to find any swelling and tenderness, and look for signs that
fluid has collected in the area. The doctor may listen to bowel sounds and check for:
Difficulty breathing
Signs of dehydration
Test samples of fluid from the abdomen, to identify the bacteria causing the infection
X-rays, to spot air in the abdomen, which means that an organ may be torn or
perforated
Source:
https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/peritonitis
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/180234-overview