Surgical Clinics of North America Volume 89, Issue 2, Pages 295-562 (April 2009) Surgical Infections Edited by J.E. Mazuski

Surgical Clinics of North America
Volume 89, Issue 2, Pages 295-562 (April 2009)
Surgical Infections
Edited by J.E. Mazuski

The individual articles of this issue are grouped into three general areas. The first four articles concern complex interactions of pathogens, host, and therapeutic modalities relevant to surgical infections. Motaz and Cheadle provide an overview of the microorganisms responsible for most surgical infections, Lowry describes the host response to infection, Patel and Malangoni summarize antimicrobial chemotherapy, and Byrnes and Beilman discuss other therapeutic modalities for the treatment of patients who have surgical infections.

The next series of articles focuses on specific infections of interest to surgical practitioners. Kirby and Mazuski outline measures to prevent surgical site infections, and Herscu and Wilson specifically discuss infections occurring after implantation of prosthetic materials. May elaborates on the diagnosis and management of skin and soft tissue infections. Mazuski and Solomkin describe both community-acquired and nosocomial intra-abdominal infections. There follows a series of articles focusing on other infectious complications of surgical therapy: Kieninger and Lipsett, Goede and Coopersmith, and Ksycki and Namias provide detailed information regarding postoperative pneumonia, catheter-related bloodstream infections, and urinary tract infections, respectively. The final article in this section, by Efron and Mazuski, describes Clostridium difficile colitis, a modern pestilence directly related to use and misuse of antibiotics.

Numerous interventions can be used to prevent and treat infections associated with surgical therapy. The ultimate section of this issue attempts to bring together some of those themes. Evans and Sawyer summarize measures to avoid development of resistant bacteria and Fry delineates systems approaches for prevention of surgical infections. Finally, Haas and Nathens describe potential future approaches for the management of surgical infections.

In the end, we, as surgeons, share responsibility for creating many of the modern-day plagues of nosocomial infections. Nevertheless, we also possess tools that can help thwart or ameliorate these infections. What is required is effective use of existing evidence-based practices for the prevention and management of surgical infections. Future investigations will lead to new approaches to control these infections, but these scientific advances will only be of value if they can be integrated into surgical practice. Ultimately, we are indeed our own worst enemies if we choose to ignore the importance of appropriately preventing and treating these infections, which can counteract even our best surgical skills. By conscientiously applying the principles outlined in this issue for managing surgical infections, we can protect our patients from the adverse consequences of these infections, and thereby improve the overall quality of surgical care
http://rapidshare.com/files/220147717/89_2.rar