EXPERIENCE WITH DIAGNOSTIC PERITONEAL LAVAGE IN BLUNT ABDOMINAL TRAUMA

Abstract
Patients (51) who had suffered blunt abdominal trauma were assessed clinically and with diagnostic peritoneal lavage. The latter has been shown to be a safe, accurate means of determining the presence or absence of hemoperitoneum. In patients with disturbed conscious states, the initial clinical assessment was inaccurate and the performance of diagnostic peritoneal lavage resulted in a statistically significant increase in diagnostic accuracy (P = 0.006). In patients with a normal conscious state, improvement in diagnostic accuracy achieved by the performance of diagnostic peritoneal lavage was not statistically significant. The technique of diagnostic peritoneal lavage is discussed in detail.

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