Role of Acute Physiology, Age, and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II Score in Predicting Outcomes of Peritonitis Due to Hollow Viscous Perforation: A Prospective Observational Study

Background The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) is the most commonly used severity-of-disease scoring system in ICUs worldwide. There is a paucity of data describing the role of APACHE II score in predicting outcomes of peritonitis due to hollow viscous perforation. This study aims at identifying the importance of the APACHE II score in predicting outcomes of patients with peritonitis secondary to hollow viscus perforation. Methods The study is a prospective, observational study that included all the patients diagnosed with perforation peritonitis who underwent emergency laparotomy and were admitted to the Department of Surgery from May 2017 to May 2018. APACHE II scores were assigned to all patients in order to calculate their individual risk of mortality before undergoing emergency surgery. The accuracy in outcome prediction of the APACHE II system was assessed by means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Pearson correlation coefficient and its significance test. Result A total of 50 patients with perforation peritonitis were included in this study. Peptic ulcer disease was the major etiology leading to perforation in 54% of patients, followed by gangrenous bowel. The mean APACHE II score was 9.54. Out of the 50 patients, seven patients succumbed to the illness. All the seven patients whose APACHE II score > 16 developed systemic complications, and three of them developed a local complication. Conclusion APACHE II score correlated well with the outcome in the current study, and APACHE II score also correlated well with the hospital and ICU stay.