Background: Abdominal sepsis represents the host's peritoneal inflammatory response to microbial invasion, which may be mild or severe, depending on the degree of contamination of the peritoneal cavity; with a reported mortality of 17%. The Mannheim peritonitis index is a clinical tool and a predictor of mortality in patients with peritonitis, with high sensitivity and specificity. Objective: To determine if there is a correlation between the score obtained by the Mannheim peritonitis index, and mortality, in patients with abdominal sepsis. Method: A retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study, during the period between July 2013 and January 2014, in patients diagnosed with abdominal sepsis, attended at the General Hospital of Mexico Dr. Eduardo Liceaga. Results: We included 177 cases, 85 of the female sex and 92 of the male sex. The average age was 43 years. The most common organ responsible for abdominal sepsis was the appendix. Mortality of 18 cases (10.2%). The cases were divided, according to the Mannheim index, in mild cases (< 25 points) and severe case (> 26 points). Of 27 severe cases, 8 (29.6%) died, while of the 150 mild cases 10 (6.7%) died (odds ratio: 5.895; 95% confidence interval: 2.071-16.77; p < 0.05). Conclusions: The Mannheim scale is a good predictor of mortality for patients with abdominal sepsis. The optimal cut-off point is 20.

Background: Abdominal sepsis represents the host's peritoneal inflammatory response to microbial invasion, which may be mild or severe, depending on the degree of contamination of the peritoneal cavity; with a reported mortality of 17%. The Mannheim peritonitis index is a clinical tool and a predictor of mortality in patients with peritonitis, with high sensitivity and specificity. objective: To determine if there is a correlation between the score obtained by the Mannheim peritonitis index, and mortality, in patients with abdominal sepsis. Method: A retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study, during the period between July 2013 and January 2014, in patients diagnosed with abdominal sepsis, attended at the General Hospital of Mexico Dr. Eduardo Liceaga. results: We included 177 cases, 85 of the female sex and 92 of the male sex. The average age was 43 years. The most common organ responsible for abdominal sepsis was the appendix. Mortality of 18 cases (10.2%). The cases were divided, according to the Mannheim index, in mild cases (< 25 points) and severe case (> 26 points). Of 27 severe cases, 8 (29.6%) died, while of the 150 mild cases 10 (6.7%) died (odds ratio: 5.895; 95% confidence interval: 2.071-16.77; p < 0.05). Conclusions: The Mannheim scale is a good predictor of mortality for patients with abdominal sepsis. The optimal cut-off point is 20.