What are the cardinal signs of peritonitis?
What are the cardinal signs of peritonitis?
Peritonitis | |
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Pronunciation | /pɛrɪtəˈnaɪtɪs/ |
Specialty | Emergency medicine, general surgery |
Symptoms | Severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever |
Complications | Sepsis (sepsis is likely if not quickly treated), shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome |
How do you assess for peritonitis?
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- Blood tests. A sample of your blood may be drawn and sent to a lab to check for a high white blood cell count.
- Imaging tests. Your doctor may want to use an X-ray to check for holes or other perforations in your gastrointestinal tract.
- Peritoneal fluid analysis.
What are peritoneal signs?
Signs of peritoneal irritation normally occur if there is any pathological process in the abdominal cavity. They are characterized by pain or tenderness on palpation. The irritation can be marked or diffused. Signs of peritoneal irritation include: Palpation of abdomen.

What is the most common complication of peritonitis?
Aggressive fluid resuscitation and early surgical intervention are the mainstay of therapy of peritonitis. Enterocutaneous fistulas, surgical site infection, sepsis, and multiorgan failure are the commonest complications seen in surgical settings.
What is the surgery for peritonitis?
Surgical intervention may include resection of a perforated viscus with reanastomosis or the creation of a fistula. To reduce the bacterial load, lavage of the abdominal cavity is performed, with particular attention to areas prone to abscess formation (eg, paracolic gutters and the subphrenic area).
Which laboratory finding is commonly associated with the diagnosis of peritonitis?

Laboratory tests, most importantly ascitic fluid analysis is required for confirmation of diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Complete blood count and differential count are tested to confirm infection.