Does drainage of intraabdominal pus reverse multiple organ failure?

Intraabdominal abscess induced multiple organ failure in 21 patients. Sepsis was most often due to perforation of the colon and was located with almost equal frequency in the upper and lower abdomen. Four patients died after single laparotomy for drainage. Seventeen were drained operatively more than once (average 3.4 operations) at mean intervals of 10 days. Sixteen of the 21 patients (76 percent) died with multiple organ failure despite drainage. Organ function improved temporarily in only one patient. Autopsy showed that pus had persisted or recurred in three patients. No significant predictors of survival were identified, although the advantage appears to lie with the younger patient in whom multiple organ failure develops relatively late after sepsis (mean 13 days) and who needs ventilatory assistance for less than 1 week. The location, size, and bacteriologic characteristics of abscesses do not appear to influence outcome. This study shows that early and repeated drainage of intraabdominal pus will not reverse multiple organ failure in the majority of patients.     

Percutaneous catheter drainage of abscesses associated with enteric fistulae

In the past six years, percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) has been performed in the treatment of 99 patients with abdominal and retroperitoneal abscesses. Of these 99 patients, 15 had abscesses associated with an enteric fistula. Fistula sites included small bowel (five), colon (three), complex (three), duodenum (two) and one each for the stomach and common duct. Two of these 15 patients had an initially successful PCD, ten developed recurrent abscesses after the first PCD and the procedure failed in the remaining three patients. Of the ten patients with recurrent abscesses, eight were successfully treated by a second PCD while two required small-bowel resection. Of the three failures, all three required operation and eventually died of septic complications. The diagnosis of fistula was made at the initial PCD in only six of 15 cases. There was a significant correlation between PCD failure and presence of an enteric fistula (P less than 0.001 by chi-square test). These data suggest that the diagnosis of fistula associated with abdominal abscess is elusive, but once established, most recurrent abscesses can be successfully treated by a second PCD. Operative treatment of recurrent fistula-related abscesses should be reserved for persistent fistula drainage after a second PCD or for unresolved sepsis following the initial PCD.     

Preoperative percutaneous drainage of diverticular abscesses

To define the role of percutaneous catheter drainage in the initial management of diverticular abscess, we reviewed 19 patients who were followed for an average of 17.4 months after drainage. All patients had large paracolic or pelvic abscesses with a mean size of 8.9 cm. There were no complications related to catheter placement, and 15 patients (79 percent) required drainage for less than 3 weeks. Sepsis resolved rapidly, and only two patients (11 percent) had persistent fever or leukocytosis beyond the third day of drainage. Routine sinography revealed fistulous communications to the colon in nine patients (47 percent), but only three (16 percent) had grossly feculent drainage. Fourteen patients (74 percent) completed the treatment plan of preoperative catheter drainage followed by single-stage sigmoid colectomy and primary anastomosis without complications. Two patients refused operation, one of whom died 16 days postoperatively from recurrent sepsis and end-stage pulmonary disease. The three patients with fecal fistulas all had inadequate control of infection, suggesting the need for early operation and fecal diversion in such cases. We conclude that preoperative percutaneous catheter drainage obviates the need for colostomy and multiple-stage surgery in approximately three-fourths of patients with large diverticular abscesses.     

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage of 25 abscesses

Twenty-four confirmed well-defined abdominal abscesses and one abscess in the thorax were percutaneously drained in 21 patients. In all, 28 puncture and drainage procedures were performed. Nineteen abscesses were drained without further surgery (76%). The high success rate, combined with minimal complications and low overall mortality (9.5%), indicates that ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage is probably the method of choice in the treatment of well-defined, unilocular abscesses, avoiding the risk of major surgery.     

Management of intra-abdominal abscesses in Crohn's disease.

Over a 5-year period, 54 intra-abdominal abscesses were observed in 40 (20.8%) of 192 patients with Crohn's disease. The median age was 39 years (range 17-76 years); median interval from diagnosis, 7.5 years (range 0-24 years) and the median number of surgical operations was 2 (range 0-7). Forty abscesses (74.1%) were spontaneous and 14 (25.9%) were postoperative. Thirty abscesses were initially managed by laparotomy, 14 by percutaneous drainage, nine by incision and drainage and in one case the abscess drained spontaneously. Intra-abdominal abscesses were managed successfully by laparotomy in 23 (76.7%) of 30 patients, with a 93% success rate (13 of 14) for spontaneous abscesses managed by resection and primary anastomosis. Three of 8 (37.5%) spontaneous abscesses were managed successfully by percutaneous drainage, a temporising effect being achieved in a further two cases. There was no significant difference in sepsis score or duration of hospital stay for patients managed initially by laparotomy and those managed by drainage. However, patients with stricturing or fistulating Crohn's disease were much more likely to have initial management by laparotomy and in these patients surgical intervention was found to be an effective initial strategy.     

Selective management of subphrenic abscesses.

Although extraserous drainage of subphrenic abscesses has gained wide acceptance, there is some renewed enthusiasm for the more frequent use of a transperitoneal operation because it affords the opportunity to discover unsuspected pathologic conditions, particularly heterotopic abscess. In 44 patients with postoperative subphrenic abscesses, the approach to drainage was selected on the basis of the clinical circumstances. Among 28 patients whose abscesses were drained extraserously, the incidence of heteroptic and recurrent abscesses was low. No serious complications of peritoneal or wound soilage occurred after transperitoneal drainage in 16 patients, yet the problems of inadequate drainage and heteroptic abscess were not eliminated. Celiotomy prior to definitive abscess localization was required for 13 patients. Five patients died. The operative approach should be based on the clinical assessment of the patient and particularly on the probability that multicentric intra-abdominal pathologic conditions exist.     

The surgical management of pancreatic abscess.

In the past 6 years we have operated on 13 patients with pancreatic abscess. Sepsis recurred in all 12 in whom the primary procedure was closed drainage. Following further surgical debridement of these recurrent abscesses 2 patients had further closed drainage and in 10 the cavities were packed open to heal by granulation. One patient underwent primary open packing which eliminated the pancreatic abscess but the patient subsequently died. Six patients (46%) died: one of lung abscesses after recovering completely from secondary open packing, one of an unsuspected carcinoma of the pancreas after secondary closed drainage and 4 of multiple organ failure after secondary open packing. There were no residual intraabdominal abscesses in any of these at autopsy. Four of those who died had initially presented with catastrophic pancreatitis according to Ranson's criteria and all 3 patients with initial sepsis scores of greater than or equal to 15 died. Open packing, whilst appearing to provide better drainage of pancreatic abscesses than closed drainage does not have a dramatic influence on mortality. Future reports of the results of open and closed methods of treating pancreatic abscesses should take account of both the severity of pancreatitis and of sepsis.     

Improved survival in 45 patients with pancreatic abscess.

The reported mortality due to pancreatic abscesses after acute pancreatitis has been 30 to 50%, a statistic that has remained unchanged for decades. This is a report of 45 patients treated over 10 years, showing a dramatic improvement in survival during that period. They represent 2.5% of admissions at the Massachusetts General Hospital for acute pancreatitis. The identifiable antecedents included alcohol (38%), gallstones (11%), and surgical trauma (16%), or were unknown in 24%. Computerized tomography (CT) was clearly the best means of specific diagnosis (unequivocal evidence in 74%, suggestive in 21%). Treatment in 44 patients was surgical debridement and catheter drainage, and in one it was resection of the pancreatic head. Multiple abscesses were present at the first operation in 21 patients. Seven had second drainage procedures for additional abscesses. In the first 5 years (1974-1978), 10 of 26 patients died (38%). In the second 5 years (1979-1983), one of 19 died (5%) (p less than 0.01). Postoperative complications (84%) included wound hemorrhage (9 of 26 vs. 1 of 19), systemic sepsis (7 of 26 vs. 1 of 19), pancreatic fistula (14/45, 13 of which closed spontaneously), colonic perforation (4), duodenal perforation (2), and gastric perforation (1). The causes of death were renal and respiratory failure with sepsis (7), hemorrhage (3), and pulmonary emboli (1). Analysis of the findings shows in the second 5-year period more frequent use of CT to certify the diagnosis of pancreatic abscess earlier, a more aggressive attitude producing earlier surgical intervention, and more extensive drainage and debridement of associated necrotic tissue. Transcatheter arterial embolization was used successfully to control postoperative hemorrhage from the abscess cavity. CT-guided percutaneous catheter drainage was used occasionally for drainage of recurrent abscesses. Neither open packing of major pancreatic abscesses nor lavage of the abscess cavity, as recently advocated, was necessary.     

The iliopsoas abscess: aetiology, therapy, and outcome

Background and aims The treatment strategy for patients with a retroperitonally localised abscess is controversial as it remains open which fluid collections should be drained by open access or by percutaneously inserted drainage.Patients Therefore, the data of 40 consecutively treated patients with an iliopsoas abscess were analysed retrospectively.Results Ten patients suffered from a primary abscess and ten from a post-operative abscess; further, in 20 patients, the aetiology of the abscesses were due to Crohn’s disease, neoplasia, spondylitis or other relevant concomitant diseases. Eight of 40 patients were initially treated by image-guided percutaneous drainage (PD), the other by open access drainage. Six patients died (15%), all of them had been operated; 15 (37.5%) patients had a recurrence of their abscess and needed re-operation. Factors predicting a poor outcome were age, APACHE II score, bi-lateral abscesses and a post-operative or bony cause, but the bacteriological findings did not influence the outcome.Conclusions We suggest an algorithm for treatment of iliopsoas abscesses depending on number and volume of the abscesses.     

Percutaneous drainage of intra-abdominal abscesses following abdominal trauma

Between January 1, 1984, and June 30, 1987, we performed percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) of 28 intra-abdominal abscesses in 21 postoperative trauma patients. During this period only three patients had abdominal re-exploration for drainage of abdominal abscess. The PCD patients were predominantly young men who had sustained penetrating abdominal injuries (81% GSW or SW; 19% MVA). Seventeen (81%) patients had multiple abdominal organ injuries with the colon being the most frequently injured (57%). Multiple abscesses were identified in 33% of the patients. All 21 patients had successful treatment of their abscesses by PCD alone. There was one complication (4.8%) from PCD (pneumothorax) and no deaths in this group. Our data suggest that in most cases, PCD can be safe, effective, and definitive treatment for postoperative intra-abdominal abscesses following abdominal trauma. We recommend PCD in all postoperative trauma patients who develop accessible abdominal abscesses before resorting to re-exploration.     

Post-operative subphrenic abscess. Information supplied by analysis of 62 recent unpublished cases (author's transl)]

We have collected 62 cases of post-operative subphrenic abscess. Two thirds of these patients were sent to us by another unit for post-operative complications. Subphrenic asbcess is still very dangerous as the mortality is still 38%. They occurred after a gastro-duodenal operation (26 times), spleno-pancreatic operation (21 times), intestinal operation (15 times), hepato-bilary operation (11 times) appendicectomy (twice). They were situated usually on the right, but 11 patients had a double subphrenic abscess and 14 an associated submesocolic abscess. Gram negative bacteria were usually the cause. These abscesses often started early. They occurred in 80% of cases in patients operated under the antibiotic cover. Chest X-ray was the best method of detection, but experience is necessary to read them. The abscesses were drained by the abdominal route in order to verify th whole peritoneal cavity. 22 patients died. 11 from septicemia. 21 out of 22 had a digestive fistula. Among the factors in prognosis, the most obvious were age, type of operation, the notion of reoperation, multiple abscess, and finally the delay in starting treatment.     

细菌性肝脓肿的中西医结合诊断与治疗

目的：总结细菌性肝脓肿的诊治经验。方法：回顾性分析1994年－2001年我院收治的48例细菌性肝脓肿临床诊断与治疗的有关资料。服用中药及抗生素9例（18．7％），穿刺引流服用中药15例（31．3％），穿刺置管引流19例（39．5％），手术引流5例（10．4％）。结果：75％的病例来自胆道感染，47．9％的病例患有糖尿病。寒战发热、肝区疼痛及白细胞增高是本病的主要临床表现，全部病例治愈。结论：治疗细菌性肝脓肿需根据分期及部位而选择不同的治疗方法。     

Abscess of the spleen: diagnosis and treatment. Apropos of 12 cases

Twelve cases of splenic abscess, seen at our hospital between January 1980 and June 1987, were reviewed retrospectively. The most common causes of splenic abscesses were subacute endocarditis and intra abdominal sepsis. Diagnosis was suspected on clinical grounds and was always confirmed by sonography and/or computerized tomography. Two patients were drained unsuccessfully under CT scan guidance and underwent splenectomy. The other patients were operated primarily. One patient developed a subphrenic abscess postoperatively. One patient died from intractable cardiac failure due to subacute endocarditis. The authors stress the role of CT scan in the diagnosis of splenic abscess and recommend early splenectomy in cases of failure of percutaneous drainage.     

Use of the computerized tomographic scan in the diagnosis and treatment of abscesses

Over a 5 year period, 89 patients underwent one or more computerized tomographic scans to locate an abscess during 92 hospitalizations. The scans were a most sensitive (93 percent), specific (98 percent), and accurate (96 percent) means of abscess detection. Thirty-nine patients had positive scans. Sixteen patients were treated directly by open surgical methods, 1 of whom required percutaneous drainage in the postoperative period for incomplete drainage. An additional 23 patients underwent attempted percutaneous abscess drainage. In 17 patients, drainage was successful. Five patients underwent percutaneous drainage and later required laparotomy, two of whom underwent unavoidable surgical procedures and three surgery for incomplete drainage. Overall, percutaneous abscess drainage was successful in 83 percent. Of 11 deaths, 8 occurred in the group with computerized tomographic scans negative for abscess. Three of these were false-negative scans. Three deaths occurred in the group with scans positive for abscess. All were of patients with hepatic abscesses treated by open surgical drainage, one after failed percutaneous drainage. Twelve patients had multiple organ failure, and 8 of these patients died, for a mortality of 67 percent. The computerized tomographic scan is the diagnostic procedure of choice in the diagnosis of abscesses. In selected patients, percutaneous abscess drainage is also a successful means of abscess treatment and avoids the complications of a laparotomy. The onset of multiple organ failure in the surgical patient should alert the diagnostician to the possibility of a septic focus. The role of early laparotomy in these patients is uncertain. We recommend early use of the computerized tomographic scan in the septic surgical patient. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of abscesses, whether by open or percutaneous routes, may avert the development of multiple organ failure and reduce morbidity and mortality.     

Brain abscesses in the young

Brain abscesses in the young are rare. Only 14 such abscesses have been seen at Texas Children's Hospital since 1968. Most abscesses developed in association with congenital heart disease (5), although sinusitis and mastoiditis were precipitating causes in two patients and one patient, respectively. The latter three patients' cases are reviewed in detail. Clinical and bacteriologic findings in all patients are discussed. There were signs of increased intracranial pressure in nine patients (64%). All abscesses were drained; in several, repeated drainage was necessary. Anaerobic organisms were recovered in six patients (43%), aerobic organisms were recovered in five (36%), and both were recovered in two (14%). In one patient no growth was reported. Antimicrobial therapy was administered to all patients but one, whose abscess was completely excised. Morbidity and mortality remained significant: three patients (21%) died and one has a residual hemiparesis.     

Treatment of pyogenic hepatic abscesses. Surgical vs percutaneous drainage

A retrospective review of 39 patients with pyogenic hepatic abscess treated from 1977 through 1984 included 23 patients who were surgically treated and 16 who underwent percutaneous drainage. The average age in each group was similar (about 55 years). The most common cause of abscesses in each group was biliary tract disease. Abscesses caused by portal seeding and local extension were more common in the surgical group, 14 of whom required additional surgical procedures at the time of surgical drainage. Of the 16 patients in the percutaneously drained group, seven were seen during the immediate postoperative period. Most of the abscesses occurred in the right lobe of the liver, but single abscesses in the left lobe (30%) and multiple abscesses (57%) were more common in the surgical group. Klebsiella enterobacter and group D streptococcus were most common in the surgically and percutaneously drained groups, respectively. All patients received antibiotics, with a mean length of treatment of 14 days. Mean time to defervescence was about four days in both groups, with a longer hospital stay for the percutaneously drained group (26 vs 46 days). Morbidity was high in both groups (surgical, 48%; percutaneous, 69%). Three of the percutaneously treated patients required surgical drainage because of highly viscous abscess contents. Mortality was 17% in the surgical group and 13% in the percutaneously drained group. Percutaneous drainage with computed tomography probably should be the initial drainage procedure in patients with pyogenic hepatic abscesses in whom no concomitant surgical procedure is planned. Regardless of treatment, the morbidity and mortality remain high.     

Blunt injury to the pancreas in children: selective management based on ultrasound

Twenty-one children with blunt injuries to the pancreas were treated over a 5-year period. Group I consisted of 12 patients brought to our hospital within 24 hours of injury. Group II included nine patients who were referred to us more than 24 hours after injury following initial treatment at another hospital. Two group I patients died within four hours of admission from other causes. Three had early laparotomy for other injuries. Of these, two had a contusion and one had a complete transection of the pancreas. All recovered uneventfully after appropriate surgical treatment. The remaining seven were all treated nonoperatively. Two had obstructive pancreatitis secondary to duodenal hematomas, three had pancreatic contusions, and two developed pancreatic pseudocysts. All seven recovered completely without operation. In group II, three patients had undergone laparotomy elsewhere. All three had pancreatic contusions. However, only one had appropriate drainage of the injured pancreas; he recovered uneventfully. Two, who were not drained, developed pseudocysts and one of these required surgical drainage by cystgastrostomy. The other six patients in group II presented to our hospital with established pseudocysts. Three of these resolved with nonoperative treatment but three required drainage. Overall, six of ten posttraumatic pancreatic pseudocysts resolved without surgical treatment. The single most useful diagnostic test in the management of these patients was abdominal ultrasound (US). US revealed specific anatomic lesions of the pancreas--contusion, obstructive pancreatitis, or pseudocyst--and provided an objective guide to management. Surgical intervention is not necessary in all cases of pancreatic trauma.     

Interventional and surgical treatment of pancreatic abscess

Pancreatic abscess is one of the infectious complications of acute pancreatitis. It is a collection principally containing pus, but it may also contain variable amounts of semisolid necrotic debris. Most of these abscesses evolve from the progressive liquefaction of necrotic pancreatic and peripancreatic tissues, but some arise from infection of peripancreatic fluid or collections elsewhere in the peritoneal cavity. Included also are abscesses found after surgical débridement and drainage of pancreatic necrosis. Although open surgical treatment of infected necrosis is the established treatment of choice, percutaneous drainage of abscesses is successful in some circumstances. We used percutaneous catheter drainage in 39 patients during 1987–1995. Only 9 of 29 (31%) attempts at primary therapy were successful; 2 patients died, and 18 required subsequent surgical drainage. On the other hand, 14 of 14 patients with recurrent or residual abscesses after surgical drainage were successfully drained percutaneously. Percutaneous catheter drainage of pancreatic abscesses may be useful for initial stabilization of septic patients, drainage of further abscesses after surgical intervention (especially when access for reoperation will be difficult), associated abscesses remote from the pancreas, and selected unilocular collections at a sufficient interval after necrotizing pancreatitis to have allowed essentially complete liquefaction.     

Ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Exploratory laparotomy for peritonitis

We present our experience with performing an exploratory laparotomy for peritonitis in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Six of 134 patients undergoing CAPD during the study period underwent surgical intervention because of abdominal sepsis. Two patients had bacterial peritonitis without abscess formation or evidence of visceral perforation and they recovered readily and, in retrospect, may not have required an operation. Of the three patients with fungal abscesses, two died of subsequent bacterial sepsis, while one patient survived, albeit after drainage of a recurrent pelvic abscess. One patient died because of extensive intestinal gangrene that was misdiagnosed as CAPD-related peritonitis initially. Our experience with these cases suggests that fungal peritonitis is a life-threatening complication that may result in both formation of an abscess and death. Therefore, it warrants aggressive antifungal chemotherapy and surgical intervention should an abscess be discovered. In contrast, bacterial peritonitis should be treated with appropriate antibiotic regimens until adequate evidence indicating the presence of a surgical condition is obtained.     

Management of perianal sepsis in a district general hospital.

Perianal sepsis remains a common surgical problem. A total of 121 patients undergoing surgery for perianal abscess and/or fistulae over a 2-year period was studied. Of these, 50 patients (41.3%) had suffered from previous perianal sepsis (not necessarily resulting in hospital attendance). Ninety-one patients underwent incision and drainage of abscesses (ischiorectal and perianal) for the first time, whereas eight patients underwent drainage of recurrent abscesses. Fistulae were identified when the abscess was drained in 14 of 91 patients, and a further ten patients subsequently developed fistulae. Twenty-two patients presented with a discharging fistula. A high yield of bowel organisms was present in patients with coexisting fistulae (88%), recurrent abscesses (75%) and in those who subsequently developed fistulae (83%). We confirm that such a growth can be used to identify patients who will benefit from further examinations.