Advancing Surgical Infection Science in the Americas: Highlights from the 2025 Panamerican Trauma Congress

Area of Science:

• Infectious Disease
• Surgical Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Surgical site infections (SSIs) and infectious complications are major causes of preventable morbidity in Latin America.
• Prevalence of SSIs in elective procedures is substantial and may rise with post-discharge surveillance.
• A dedicated session at the XXXVII Panamerican Congress focused on infectious complications in trauma and burn care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a narrative synthesis of studies on infection prevention, diagnosis, and management in burn care, trauma, and emergency general surgery.
• To highlight continental efforts in advancing surgical infection science in the Americas.
• To reinforce priorities for standardized surveillance and multi-center collaboration.

Main Methods:

• Focused narrative synthesis of five highlighted studies.
• Review of research presented at the XXXVII Panamerican Congress of Trauma, Critical Care, and Emergency Surgery.
• Analysis of infection prevention, diagnosis, and management strategies.

Main Results:

• Studies addressed critical aspects of infection control in surgical care across the Americas.
• Continental efforts are underway to advance surgical infection science.
• Key priorities include standardized surveillance, post-discharge follow-up, and multi-center collaboration.

Conclusions:

• Standardized surveillance for SSIs and intra-abdominal infections, including post-discharge follow-up, is crucial.
• Consistent reporting and multi-center collaboration are essential to accelerate evidence into practice.
• Addressing infectious complications requires a coordinated, continental approach.