Continuous lavage in the treatment of severe necrotizing pancreatitis

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to summarize five-year experience with the method of closed continuous lavage in the treatment of severe necrotic pancreatitis. To compare the advantages and disadvantages and to compare the achieved results with those of other authors. METHOD: The authors evaluated in the form of a retrospective analysis the results achieved in a group of 54 patients treated by the above method implemented under conditions and rules defined in advance. The drains were placed with regard to the results of CT and the surgical finding. For the lavage saline was used with addition of antibiotic alternately with Povidon iodide solution. Parameters and objectives outlined in advance were followed up. RESULTS: As the main criteria of evaluation and comparison of results was evaluation of the mortality (27.7%) in the whole group of the most severe forms of acute pancreatitis. It is comparable with the world literature. The incidence of complications and relatively small number of surgical revisions (33%), the mean period of hospitalization (56.8 days) and tolerance of the procedure by the patients were also evaluated positively. CONCLUSIONS: The method of continuous closed lavage in the treatment of severe forms of acute pancreatitis is an asset to the contemporary therapeutic concept due to the high predominance of advantages over disadvantages.