Acute Care Surgery

The optimal management of fulminant or complicated diverticulitis is the subject of debate in recent literature. The most common management strategy remains resection and end colostomy or Hartmann’s procedure, first introduced in the 1940s, despite the introduction of more current approaches supported by decreased morbidity and mortality by various studies. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the strategies described for the management of fulminant diverticulitis and the most recent evidence available to support these approaches. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the Hartmann’s procedure approach, as well as the most current management strategies, and offer both citation and review of relevant recent studies.