The Role of the Mannheim Peritonitis Index for Predicting Outcomes in Patients With Perforation Peritonitis in a Rural Hospital in India

Introduction Acute secondary peritonitis due to hollow viscus perforation is a life-threatening surgical condition with significant morbidity and mortality, depending on the severity with outcomes that differ in the Western and developing world. Various scoring systems have been developed to assess the severity and its relation to morbidity and mortality. We conducted this study to evaluate the role of the Mannheim peritonitis index (MPI) in predicting outcomes in perforation peritonitis patients in a rural hospital in India. Materials and methods A prospective study of 50 patients with hollow viscus perforation with secondary peritonitis presented to the emergency department, Acharya Vinoba Bhave Rural Hospital, Sawangi (Meghe), Wardha, from 2016 to 2020. Each operated patient was scored according to the MPI to predict mortality. Results The majority of the patients were discharged uneventfully and about 16% (8/50) of the patients expired. The patients with an MPI score of more than 29 had maximum mortality of 62.5%. Mortality was seen in 37.5% of the patients with MPI scores between 21 and 29, whereas no mortality was recorded in patients with an MPI score of 21. Higher mortality was associated with age greater than 50 years (p=0.007), the presence of malignancy (p=0.013), colonic perforation (p=0.014), and fecal contamination (p=0.004). There was no significant correlation with gender (p=0.81), the presence of organ failure (p=1.6), delayed presentation, i.e., preoperative duration >24 hours (p=0.17), and the presence of diffuse peritonitis (p=0.25). Conclusion MPI is a specific, easily reproducible, and less cumbersome scoring method for predicting mortality in patients with hollow viscus perforation (secondary) peritonitis with minimal laboratory investigations. Higher scores correlate with a poorer prognosis and need intensive management, making use of MPI in clinical practice relevant and beneficial, especially in resource-poor settings.