A comparative analytical study on outcome of secondary peritonitis using Mannheim's peritonitis index in geographically diverse Indian patients.

Objectives: Secondary peritonitis is caused by infection of the peritoneal cavity due to perforation of the alimentary tract. Mannheim's peritonitis ındex (MPI) is a prognostic scoring system that predicts outcomes in peritonitis. Increasing MPI scores correlate with poor outcomes and mortality. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of MPI-based prognosis and its impact on Indian patients with secondary peritonitis.

Material and methods: For understanding the effectiveness of the MPI scoring system, a cross-sectional data analysis of published studies on secondary peritonitis from 10 geographical locations in India was performed. The 10-site study results were compared with unpublished in-house study data for individual MPI parameters to analyze any variations of MPI score-based predictions across a diverse Indian population. Patients were divided into risk groups on the basis of MPI scores: <21 mild, MPI= 21-29 moderate, MPI> 29 severe risk.

Results: We observed a significant correlation between mortality with age and gender as reported worldwide. Site of perforations were prevalent in the upper alimentary tract with the majority being gastro-duodenal for the Indian population as opposed to distal parts in the western population. Higher lethality in India is often associated with evolution time, organ failure, and sepsis due to delayed presentation and poor management.

Conclusion: MPI scoring is effective in predicting risk across geographically diverse Indian populations. The sensitivity and specificity of MPI scores are more reliable and a score >29 specifically recommends aggressive resuscitation & monitoring of patients, initiation of broad-spectrum antibiotics, and intensive care support to reduce mortality and morbidity.