Introduction: There is a perturbation of the natural intra-peritoneal environment in peritonitis. The significant issue for treatment outcomes of peritonitis is connected with intra-peritoneal fibrinolysis.
The aim of the study was to determine the concentration of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) in peritoneal fluid in patients operated for peritonitis.
Materials and methods: The study group consisted of 65 patients (28 women and 37 men) at a mean age 45 ±18 years diagnosed with peritonitis. The causes of peritoneal inflammation were acute appendicitis, acute cholecystitis, acute pancreatitis and obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract. The exclusion criterion for the study was cancer, any thrombolytic or antithrombotic therapy. The peritoneal fluid obtained during the surgical procedure was collected for study, in which the concentration of uPA was determined.
Results: In the peritoneal fluid of operated patients, uPA was found. The concentration was significantly higher than that determined in their blood plasma (p < 0.0001).
Conclusions: The presence of uPA in peritoneal fluid, the concentration of which was significantly higher than in the blood plasma, indicates that during peritonitis there are some conditions for the activation of intra-peritoneal fibrinolysis. However, further investigations are required, including other components of the fibrinolysis cascade.
