Declaration on infection prevention and management in global surgery

Abstract

Surgeons in their daily practice are at the forefront in preventing and managing infections. However, among surgeons, appropriate measures of infection prevention and management are often disregarded. The lack of awareness of infection and prevention measures has marginalized surgeons from this battle. Together, the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery (GAIS), the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES), the Surgical Infection Society (SIS), the Surgical Infection Society-Europe (SIS-E), the World Surgical Infection Society (WSIS), the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST), and the Panamerican Trauma Society (PTS) have jointly completed an international declaration, highlighting the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance globally and the need for preventing and managing infections appropriately across the surgical pathway. The authors representing these surgical societies call all surgeons around the world to participate in this global cause by pledging support for this declaration for maintaining the effectiveness of current and future antibiotics.

Keywords: Antibiotic therapy; Antimicrobial resistance; Education; Hospital-acquired infections; Infection prevention and control; Surgery; Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis; Surveillance.

Fig. 1

Fundamental principles for correct infection prevention and management across the surgical pathway [2]. HAIs: healthcare-associated infections. AMR: antimicrobial resistance. PK–PD: pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic