Peritoneal lavage in faecal peritonitis in the rat.

Intraoperative antibiotic peritoneal lavage was significantly better than systemic antibiotic in preventing death from induced faecal peritonitis in the rat. Its efficacy was due to the combined effects of lavage and intraperitoneal antibiotic, each factor alone being significantly inferior to the combined effect of both. Antiseptic lavage was less effective than antibiotic lavage.