Surgical Infections, Antimicrobial Stewardship, and the Prevention of Surgical Site Complications

This chapter provides a thorough review of the current evidence base for the prevention, diagnosis, and management of surgical site infections, intra-abdominal sepsis, and postoperative infectious complications in the general surgical patient. It examines antimicrobial prophylaxis protocols, wound management strategies, negative pressure wound therapy, the role of source control in abdominal sepsis, and the growing challenge of multidrug-resistant organisms, alongside a critical appraisal of antimicrobial stewardship programs in surgical units.