[The Mannheim peritonitis index. An instrument for the intraoperative prognosis of peritonitis].

Based on the experience with 1243 patients suffering from purulent peritonitis 255 patients of two surgical departments were studied prospectively in a cohort study. Lethality was 24%. For intraabdominal infection an index is established that allows for the first time to predict lethal outcome of the disease in the individual patient. For each index-score the expected mortality is given by a modern mathematical calculation. The 'Mannheim Peritonitis Index' includes only clinical risk-factors that are routinely documented pre- and intraoperatively. Methods of evaluation, validation and the comparison with other prognostic indices are presented.