Peritonitis - Treating peritonitis

If you're diagnosed with peritonitis, you will probably be admitted to hospital so you can be carefully monitored.

This is because of the risk of serious complications of peritonitis, such as blood poisoning.

Medication

The initial treatment for peritonitis involves injections of antibiotics or antifungal medication. This will usually last 10 to 14 days.

If your peritonitis was caused by peritoneal dialysis, antibiotics may be injected directly into the tissue of the peritoneum. Research has shown this is more effective than injecting antibiotics in a vein.

You will also need to use an alternative method of dialysis, such as haemodialysis (where the blood is passed through a filtering machine) until the peritonitis has been successfully treated.

If peritonitis is causing pain, you may also be given painkilling medication.

Nutritional support

Many people with peritonitis have problems digesting and processing food, so a feeding tube may be needed.

The feeding tube is either passed into your stomach through your nose (nasogastric tube) or surgically placed into your stomach through your tummy.

If these are unsuitable, nutrition may be given directly into one of your veins (parenteral nutrition).

Surgery

If part of the tissue of the peritoneum has been seriously damaged by infection, it may need to be surgically removed.

Some people develop abscesses (pus-filled swellings) in their peritoneum that need to be drained with a needle. This is carried out using an ultrasound scanner to guide the needle to the abscess. Local anaesthetic is usually used so you don't feel any pain. Read more about treating abscesses.

The cause of peritonitis may also need to be surgically treated. For example, if a burst appendix caused your peritonitis, your appendix will need to be removed. Read more about treating appendicitis.