Procedures

The evolution of new therapeutic principles and modalities to the basic rules for successful operative therapy of suppurative diffuse peritonitis, starting with Kirschner in the early 20th century, has significantly reduced the mortality rate associated with intra-abdominal infections over the last century1. These include;

Intra Abdominal Infections Chart
  1. Wittmann DH. Treatment of Peritonitis: Antibiotic concentration dynamics at the site of infection as criterion of antimicrobial chemotherapy. Habilitation. Hamburg: Medizinische Fakultät der Universität; 1984

Staged Abdominal Repair
Although abdominal hypertension was first addressed in the literature in 1876 by Wendt and later described as the source of evil in intra-abdominal infection by Körte in 1897, the story of the open abdomen started only in 1975 with a dissertation by Pujol from the University of Paris...

Source Control
In 1902 Rehn mandated 'radical elimination of the cause (source) of peritonitis' and W Nötzel reported in 1909 a dramatic improvement of mortality that was attributed to radical source control as mandated by his teacher Rehn. His reports showed an improved outcome by a 62% mortality reduction...