Development Of Surgical Infection Research Articles

Surgical infections in the critically ill.

Surgical infections in the critically ill patient population are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Intra-abdominal and surgical soft-tissue infections are responsible for a significant proportion of the disease burden. Multiple risk factors have been identified that are associated with the development of surgical infections and subsequent morbidity and mortality. The microbiologic spectrum associated with these infections is broad and is determined by the site from which the infection arises and whether the infection is community acquired or nosocomial in origin. The diagnosis and management of these infections require a high index of suspicion, prompt surgical intervention, and adequate antibiotic therapy and resuscitation. Therefore, these infections present a challenge to the intensivist caring for a critically ill patient.

Surgical infections—pathogen versus host

An attempt has been made to present a useful classification of the etiological factors in the development of surgical infections. The role of the host has been emphasized, but the author in no way wishes to draw attention away from the importance of strict adherence to aseptic and antiseptic principles. A few simple tests combined with a thorough clinical evaluation will usually detect the nature of abnormalities of host resistance. A newly developed test for measuring neutrophil function appears to be particularly useful. A cyclical variation in the neutrophil function of the healthy persons has been discovered which may be of importance in the pathogenesis of unexpected infections.