Cirugía española
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Tertiary peritonitis is the most delayed and severe outcome of patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections. The major difficulty lies in giving a common, precise and consensus definition in order to know when to make its diagnosis and how it can be avoided and/or treated. ⋯ Despite all this, the prognosis is extremely poor since it has a mortality which can reach up to 60%, with preventions being the most important measure to avoid it developing. In this article, we have made a specific review of tertiary peritonitis, of the accepted definitions, the risk factors, its pathophysiology, the microbiological flora involved, and its treatment.