Intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in hospital settings worldwide. The cornerstones of IAI management include rapid, accurate diagnostics; timely, adequate source control; appropriate, short-duration antimicrobial therapy administered according to the principles of pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and antimicrobial stewardship; and hemodynamic and organ functional support with intravenous fluid and adjunctive vasopressor agents for critical illness (sepsis/organ dysfunction or septic shock after correction of hypovolemia). In patients with IAIs, a personalized approach is crucial to optimize outcomes and should be based on multiple aspects that require careful clinical assessment. The anatomic extent of infection, the presumed pathogens involved and risk factors for antimicrobial resistance, the origin and extent of the infection, the patient's clinical condition, and the host's immune status should be assessed continuously to optimize the management of patients with complicated IAIs.

• Keywords
• Antimicrobial resistance, Antimicrobial therapy, Intra-abdominal infections, Source control,
• MeSH
• Anti-Bacterial Agents therapeutic use   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Intraabdominal Infections * drug therapy   MeSH
• Risk Factors MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Anti-Bacterial Agents MeSH

Infections represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Multiple factors related to the patient, tumor, and cancer therapy can affect the risk of infection in patients with solid tumors. A thorough understanding of such factors can aid in the identification of patients with substantial risk of infection, allowing medical practitioners to tailor therapy and apply prophylactic measures to avoid serious complications. The use of novel treatment modalities, including targeted therapy and immunotherapy, brings diagnostic and therapeutic challenges into the management of infections in cancer patients. A growing body of evidence suggests that antibiotic therapy can modulate both toxicity and antitumor response induced by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and especially immunotherapy. This article provides a comprehensive review of potential risk factors for infections and therapeutic approaches for the most prevalent infections in patients with solid tumors, and discusses the potential effect of antibiotic therapy on toxicity and efficacy of cancer therapy.

• Keywords
• antibiotic therapy, cancer, immunotherapy, infection, risk factors, solid tumors, targeted therapy,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

Intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) are common surgical emergencies and have been reported as major contributors to non-trauma deaths in hospitals worldwide. The cornerstones of effective treatment of IAIs include early recognition, adequate source control, appropriate antimicrobial therapy, and prompt physiologic stabilization using a critical care environment, combined with an optimal surgical approach. Together, the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES), the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery (GAIS), the Surgical Infection Society-Europe (SIS-E), the World Surgical Infection Society (WSIS), and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) have jointly completed an international multi-society document in order to facilitate clinical management of patients with IAIs worldwide building evidence-based clinical pathways for the most common IAIs. An extensive non-systematic review was conducted using the PubMed and MEDLINE databases, limited to the English language. The resulting information was shared by an international task force from 46 countries with different clinical backgrounds. The aim of the document is to promote global standards of care in IAIs providing guidance to clinicians by describing reasonable approaches to the management of IAIs.

• Keywords
• Intra-abdominal infections, Peritonitis, Sepsis,
• MeSH
• Anti-Bacterial Agents therapeutic use   MeSH
• Anti-Infective Agents * therapeutic use   MeSH
• Critical Pathways MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Intraabdominal Infections * drug therapy   surgery   MeSH
• Treatment Outcome MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Anti-Bacterial Agents MeSH
• Anti-Infective Agents * MeSH

BACKGROUND: Meropenem dosing for septic critically patients is difficult due to pathophysiological changes associated with sepsis as well as supportive symptomatic therapies. A prospective single-center study assessed whether fluid retention alters meropenem pharmacokinetics and the achievement of the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) targets for efficacy. METHODS: Twenty-five septic ICU patients (19 m, 6f) aged 32-86 years with the mean APACHE II score of 20.2 (range 11-33), suffering mainly from perioperative intra-abdominal or respiratory infections and septic shock (n = 18), were investigated over three days after the start of extended 3-h i.v. infusions of meropenem q8h. Urinary creatinine clearance (CLcr) and cumulative fluid balance (CFB) were measured daily. Plasma meropenem was measured, and Bayesian estimates of PK parameters were calculated. RESULTS: Eleven patients (9 with peritonitis) were classified as fluid overload (FO) based on a positive day 1 CFB of more than 10% body weight. Compared to NoFO patients (n = 14, 11 with pneumonia), the FO patients had a lower meropenem clearance (CLme 8.5 ± 3.2 vs 11.5 ± 3.5 L/h), higher volume of distribution (V1 14.9 ± 3.5 vs 13.5 ± 4.1 L) and longer half-life (t1/2 1.4 ± 0.63 vs 0.92 ± 0.54 h) (p < 0.05). Over three days, the CFB of the FO patients decreased (11.7 ± 3.3 vs 6.7 ± 4.3 L, p < 0.05) and the PK parameters reached the values comparable with NoFO patients (CLme 12.4 ± 3.8 vs 11.5 ± 2.0 L/h, V1 13.7 ± 2.0 vs 14.0 ± 5.1 L, t1/2 0.81 ± 0.23 vs 0.87 ± 0.40 h). The CLcr and Cockroft-Gault CLcr were stable in time and comparable. The correlation with CLme was weak to moderate (CLcr, day 3 CGCLcr) or absent (day 1 and 2 CGCLcr). Dosing with 2 g meropenem q8h ensured adequate concentrations to treat infections with sensitive pathogens (MIC 2 mg/L). The proportion of pre-dose concentrations exceeding the MIC 8 mg/L and the fraction time with a target-exceeding concentration were higher in the FO group (day 1-3 f Cmin > MIC: 67 vs 27%, p < 0.001; day 1%f T > MIC: 79 ± 17 vs 58 ± 17, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings emphasize the importance of TDM and a cautious approach to augmented maintenance dosing of meropenem to patients with FO infected with less susceptible pathogens, if guided by population covariate relationships between CLme and creatinine clearance.

• Keywords
• Critically ill patients, Fluid therapy, Meropenem, Pharmacodynamics, Pharmacokinetics, Sepsis,
• MeSH
• Anti-Bacterial Agents metabolism   pharmacokinetics   MeSH
• APACHE MeSH
• Bayes Theorem MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Pharmacokinetics * MeSH
• Intensive Care Units organization & administration   statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Critical Illness therapy   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Meropenem metabolism   pharmacokinetics   MeSH
• Prospective Studies MeSH
• Aged, 80 and over MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Sepsis drug therapy   physiopathology   MeSH
• Water-Electrolyte Balance drug effects   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged, 80 and over MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Anti-Bacterial Agents MeSH
• Meropenem MeSH

Acute colonic diverticulitis is one of the most common clinical conditions encountered by surgeons in the acute setting. An international multidisciplinary panel of experts from the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) updated its guidelines for management of acute left-sided colonic diverticulitis (ALCD) according to the most recent available literature. The update includes recent changes introduced in the management of ALCD. The new update has been further integrated with advances in acute right-sided colonic diverticulitis (ARCD) that is more common than ALCD in select regions of the world.

• Keywords
• Abscess, Acute left-sided colonic diverticulitis, Acute right-sided colonic diverticulitis, Peritonitis,
• MeSH
• Acute Disease MeSH
• Diverticulitis, Colonic classification   surgery   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Emergency Service, Hospital * MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Practice Guideline MeSH

BACKGROUND: Timing and adequacy of peritoneal source control are the most important pillars in the management of patients with acute peritonitis. Therefore, early prognostic evaluation of acute peritonitis is paramount to assess the severity and establish a prompt and appropriate treatment. The objectives of this study were to identify clinical and laboratory predictors for in-hospital mortality in patients with acute peritonitis and to develop a warning score system, based on easily recognizable and assessable variables, globally accepted. METHODS: This worldwide multicentre observational study included 153 surgical departments across 56 countries over a 4-month study period between February 1, 2018, and May 31, 2018. RESULTS: A total of 3137 patients were included, with 1815 (57.9%) men and 1322 (42.1%) women, with a median age of 47 years (interquartile range [IQR] 28-66). The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 8.9%, with a median length of stay of 6 days (IQR 4-10). Using multivariable logistic regression, independent variables associated with in-hospital mortality were identified: age > 80 years, malignancy, severe cardiovascular disease, severe chronic kidney disease, respiratory rate ≥ 22 breaths/min, systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg, AVPU responsiveness scale (voice and unresponsive), blood oxygen saturation level (SpO2) < 90% in air, platelet count < 50,000 cells/mm3, and lactate > 4 mmol/l. These variables were used to create the PIPAS Severity Score, a bedside early warning score for patients with acute peritonitis. The overall mortality was 2.9% for patients who had scores of 0-1, 22.7% for those who had scores of 2-3, 46.8% for those who had scores of 4-5, and 86.7% for those who have scores of 7-8. CONCLUSIONS: The simple PIPAS Severity Score can be used on a global level and can help clinicians to identify patients at high risk for treatment failure and mortality.

• Keywords
• Acute peritonitis, Early warning score, Emergency surgery, Source control,
• MeSH
• Abdomen abnormalities   physiopathology   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Logistic Models MeSH
• Hospital Mortality MeSH
• Prognosis * MeSH
• Risk Factors MeSH
• Chi-Square Distribution MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Sepsis diagnosis   physiopathology   MeSH
• Injury Severity Score MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Multicenter Study MeSH
• Observational Study MeSH

The Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery appreciates the great effort of the task force who derived and validated the Sepsis-3 definitions and considers the new definitions an important step forward in the evolution of our understanding of sepsis. Nevertheless, more than a year after their publication, we have a few concerns regarding the use of the Sepsis-3 definitions.

• Keywords
• Infections, Organ dysfunction, Sepsis, Septic shock,
• MeSH
• Arterial Pressure MeSH
• Glasgow Coma Scale MeSH
• Consensus MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Sensitivity and Specificity MeSH
• Sepsis classification   mortality   MeSH
• Data Accuracy * MeSH
• Severity of Illness Index * MeSH
• Organ Dysfunction Scores MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13017-017-0141-6.].

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Published Erratum MeSH