[Peritoneal lavage as a standard therapeutic principle in diffuse purulent peritonitis].

Programmed peritoneal lavage was performed on 72 patients with diffuse purulent peritonitis. The intervals up to planned relaparotomy were one to two days. An average of 4.2 lavages was conducted. The abdominal cavity was provisionally closed. Eleven of 34 patients with incurable trias survived. Histological and bacteriological follow-up checks produced evidence to rapid healing of peritonitis in the course of the lavage programme.