Antimicrobial management of severe intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) involves a delicate balance of optimizing empirical therapy, which has been shown to improve clinical outcomes, while simultaneously reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use. Two sets of guidelines for the management of intra-abdominal infections were recently published. In 2010, the Surgical Infection Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (SIS-IDSA) created guidelines for the diagnosis and management of complicated IAIs. The new SIS-IDSA guidelines replace those previously published in 2002 and 2003. The World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) guidelines represent additional contributions, made by specialists worldwide, to the debate regarding proper antimicrobial drug methodology. These guidelines represent the conclusions of the consensus conference held in Bologna, Italy, in July 2010 during the first congress of the WSES.
Keywords: Antimicrobial therapy; Intra-abdominal infections; Literature’s guidelines.