Pseudoperitonitis following cardiac surgery

Peritonitis is a well-recognized complication of peritoneal dialysis, a procedure often used to manage patients in acute renal failure following cardiac surgery. Postoperative ileus, with associated overgrowth of bowel flora, may account for the apparently high rate of positive effluent cultures due to Gram-negative bacilli in such cases. In the absence of other clinical signs an erroneous diagnosis of peritonitis may be made and result in unnecessary antimicrobial chemotherapy.