Short- and long-term outcome and health-related quality of life after severe peritonitis

The short-form survey 36 (SF-36) is a useful and qualified instrument for measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in critically ill patients. In this study we determined hospital mortality, hospital discharge mortality, and HRQL of 136 patients with severe peritonitis admitted to our hospital between January 1996 and May 1999. Hospital mortality was 46% and hospital discharge mortality 10%. The HRQL-questionnaire was answered completely by 97% of the patients who where still alive during the study period. Age significantly reduced physical functions in these patients. Patients with cancer had significant impaired physical functions in the first year, followed by significant impairment in emotion. Generally, patients who survived peritonitis and had no malignancy had an acceptable outcome when compared to individuals from a large normal population. Health-related quality of life measurements in peritonitis patients justify the high efforts in the treatment of these patients, but they do not provide a useful tool in the outcome prediction for individual patients.