"Routine" versus "on demand" ultrasonography in the surgical intensive care patient. A prospective randomized study

Between May 1988 und March 1989 all patients who underwent elective or emergency surgery followed by intensive care were randomly assigned to group A (n = 149): routine sonography at the postoperative day 1, 3, 7 and 9, group B (n = 151): sonography on demand. In these two groups, the following parameters were compared: number of relaparotomies, lethality of relaparotomies, total lethality, moment of relaparotomy, period of hospitalisation, time spent with sonography. In the analyzed parameters, our examination showed no difference between the two groups. For this we state that the routine sonographical control of the surgical patient with intensive care being opposed to the sonography on demand shows no significant advantage. The demand for a routine sonography as a postoperative control can not be generally supported.