Editorial
Copyright ©2012 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 7, 2012; 18(9): 865-871
Published online Mar 7, 2012. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i9.865
Antimicrobial management of intra-abdominal infections: Literature's guidelines
Massimo Sartelli, Fausto Catena, Federico Coccolini, Antonio Daniele Pinna
Massimo Sartelli, Department of General Surgery, Macerata Hospital, 62100 Macerata, Italy
Fausto Catena, Federico Coccolini, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Department of General, Emergency and Transplant Surgery, Sant’Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Author contributions: All the authors contributed equally to this paper.
Correspondence to: Massimo Sartelli, MD, Department of General Surgery, Macerata Hospital, Via Santa Lucia 2, 62100 Macerata, Italy. m.sartelli@virgilio.it
Telephone: +39-733-2572486 Fax: +39-733-2572471
Received: February 10, 2011
Revised: March 29, 2011
Accepted: April 4, 2011
Published online: March 7, 2012
Abstract

Antimicrobial management of severe intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) involves a delicate balance of optimizing empirical therapy, which has been shown to improve clinical outcomes, while simultaneously reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use. Two sets of guidelines for the management of intra-abdominal infections were recently published. In 2010, the Surgical Infection Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (SIS-IDSA) created guidelines for the diagnosis and management of complicated IAIs. The new SIS-IDSA guidelines replace those previously published in 2002 and 2003. The World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) guidelines represent additional contributions, made by specialists worldwide, to the debate regarding proper antimicrobial drug methodology. These guidelines represent the conclusions of the consensus conference held in Bologna, Italy, in July 2010 during the first congress of the WSES.

Keywords: Intra-abdominal infections, Antimicrobial therapy, Literature’s guidelines