John A. Weigelt, MD Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma/Critical Care, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Correspondence: John A. Weigelt, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin, Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma/Critical Care, 9200 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53226; jweigelt@mcw.edu
Dr.Weigelt reported that he has received research grant support, consulting/advisory fees, and honoraria for speaking or writing from Pfizer Inc., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Schering-Plough Corp., and Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical.
Upside Endeavors, a medical education company, prepared an initial outline and reference list for this article, which the author revised, added to, and developed into the final manuscript.
ABSTRACT
Complicated intra-abdominal infections remain a major challenge for surgeons and internists because of their association with high morbidity and mortality. For optimal outcome, these infections require a combination of appropriate and timely surgical source control and adjunctive broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy. This review discusses criteria for choosing empiric antimicrobial therapy, outlines available treatment options, and highlights new antimicrobial therapies for these infections.
