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Peritonitis, Pediatric

Sarah S. Lusman, MD, PhD and Arunjot Singh, MD, MPH Reviewed 10/2018
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

  • Inflammation of the peritoneal cavity in reaction to infection or chemical irritation by organic fluids (e.g., intestinal contents, bile, blood, or urine)

  • Infectious peritonitis can b...

DIAGNOSIS

HISTORY

  • Dependent on stage, age, and etiology

  • Abdominal pain is the most common symptom.

    • Young children may be unable to verbalize pain.

  • Fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea

  • ~10% of SBP cases are en...

TREATMENT

GENERAL MEASURES

  • Fluid resuscitation with isotonic saline, 20 mL/kg boluses up to 60 mL/kg, or albumin if large amounts of fluid are required to restore intravascular volume

  • Decompression with...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

Patient Monitoring

  • Normalization of vital signs to mark clinical improvement and effective intervention

  • Serial abdominal exams to assess change in tenderness, ascit...

ADDITIONAL READING

  • Haecker FM, Berger D, Schumacher U, et al. Peritonitis in childhood: aspects of pathogenesis and therapy. Pediatr Surg Int.  2000;16(3):182–188. [View Abstract on OvidInsights]

  • ...

CODES

ICD9

  • 567.9 Unspecified peritonitis

  • 567.23 Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

  • 777.6 Perinatal intestinal perforation

  • 567.81 Choleperitonitis

  • 567.21 Peritonitis (acute) generalized

  • 567.29 Other suppurati...

FAQ

  • Q: Is peritonitis common in children with ascites?

  • A: Despite the frequency of ascites from many different causes, peritonitis occurs rarely. In the setting of children with chronic liver disease a...

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