Continuing search for solutions to trauma associated infections

Area of Science:

• Infectious Disease
• Surgical Critical Care
• Host Defense Mechanisms

Background:

• Efforts to control surgical infections are evolving, with current research focusing on the host's non-specific antimicrobial defense system.
• Despite laboratory advancements, clinical trials for surgical infection therapies have yielded incomplete answers.
• Pneumonia remains the leading cause of mortality in surgical patients over the past three decades.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the host's non-specific antimicrobial defense system in surgical patients.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of putative therapies for surgical infections.
• To identify optimal strategies for surgical infection control.

Main Methods:

• Review and critique of existing clinical trials in surgical infection control.
• Prospective reassessment of strategies with a focus on definable outcomes.
• Monitoring of laboratory findings related to host defense mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Clinical trials have provided partial answers regarding the treatment of surgical infections.
• Laboratory research offers numerous potential solutions, but clinical validation is challenging.
• A critical review of failed trials is necessary for future progress.

Conclusions:

• The most effective current strategy for surgical infection control involves careful analysis of past clinical trial failures.
• Future research should focus on precise reassessment and the development of therapies with definable, valuable outcomes.
• Continued investigation into host defense mechanisms and application to recalcitrant pneumonia is crucial for reducing surgical patient mortality.