Pre-operative Intraperitoneal Drainage Under Local Anesthesia: A Promising Resuscitation Tool in Peritonitis Secondary to Hollow Viscus Perforation During the Corona Pandemic

Introduction To study the role of intraperitoneal drainage in the resuscitation of patients with perforation peritonitis during the corona pandemic. Materials and methods This retrospective study was conducted in the general surgery department of Nishtar Medical University/Hospital Multan from April 2020 to September 2020. Patients of peritonitis who presented with bilateral pulmonary crepitations, SpO2 less than 92%, PaO2 less than 60 mmHg on arterial blood gas (ABG), and chest x-ray (CXR) finding of bilateral infiltrates are included. Due to high suspicion of associated coronavirus infection such patients needed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for virus detection and special measures were required for resuscitation before any definitive treatment. A delay of six to eight hours is usually encountered while ensuring proper safety measures and dedicated operation theaters. Initial resuscitation started with intravenous fluids and broad-spectrum antibiotics were given to all patients. Twenty-seven patients were resuscitated with preoperative intraperitoneal drainage while waiting for PCR and 13 patients were resuscitated without drainage. Data analysis was carried out using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 19 software. The mean was calculated for age while frequency and percentages were calculated for gender, comorbidities, and causes of delay. The mortality was compared using the chi-square test. Results The mean age of patients was 43.73 ± 16.04 years. The common cause of peritonitis were perforations due to duodenal ulcer, typhoid, tuberculous (TB), and biliary origin. The variables that led to suspicion of coronavirus were SpO2 < 92%, PaO2 <60mmHg and bilateral infiltrates on chest x-ray. PCR for coronavirus was positive in nine patients. Mortality was 29.6% in those resuscitated with intraperitoneal drainage before the definitive procedure and 54% in those not resuscitated with intraperitoneal drainage. Conclusions The surge of coronavirus infection has put the healthcare staff at great risk. This has led to strict protocols and precautionary measures in the management of patients with perforation peritonitis with suspected corona infection. The local guidelines for the management of patients with acute abdomen should include aggressive measures right from the start during the corona pandemic. Intraperitoneal drainage, early in the management of perforation peritonitis decreases morbidity and mortality in suspected corona infected patients.