Intra-abdominal Infection

The basic principles of rapid diagnosis, timely physiologic support, and definitive intervention for intra-abdominal infections have remained unchanged over the past century; however, specific management of these conditions has been transformed as a result of numerous advances in technology. This review covers clinical evaluation, investigative studies, options for intervention, early source control and duration of antimicrobial therapy, infections of the upper abdomen, infections of the lower abdomen, other abdominal infections, and special cases. Figures show an algorithm outlining the approach to a suspected upper abdominal infection, abnormal abdominal ultrasounds showing calculi in the gallbladder and confirming the diagnosis of acute acalculous cholecystitis, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographies showing a distal common bile duct stone in acute pancreatitis, extrinsic compression of the common hepatic duct by a stone in the Hartmann pouch, and endoscopic sphincterotomy for acute biliary decompression in acute obstructive cholangitis, air outlining the gallbladder and bile ducts in emphysematous cholecystitis, abdominal and pelvic CT scans showing pancreatic finding