Peritoneal lavage in standardized peritonitis models

: The peritoneal lavage in peritonitis can be studied in a standardized manner only in animal models, because peritonitis is too variable and dependent on too many patient related factors. In this article answers are given to questions on the influence of different lavage substances on survival, local and systemic concentrations of bacteria, endotoxin, and TNF as well as on mesothelial adherence of bacteria. These data refer to results from acute models of infection published in the literature. Furthermore, we show from our own chronic peritonitis model the influence of the peritoneal lavage on abscess formation and translocation. After inoculation of a Bacteroides fragilis suspension, a chronic abscess forming peritonitis was induced. At day 3/7/14 intraabdominal abscesses were found in 2/4/6 of 8/5/6 animals in an untreated, in 1/3/5 of 5/5/5 animals in a saline lavaged, and in 5/0/2 of 5/5/5 animals in a Taurolidin lavaged group, respectively. Both, the intraabdominal and the systemic bacterial dissemination were more effectively inhibited by the Taurolidin lavage than by the saline lavage.