Author Description

Infection is the most common form of morbidity after all operative procedures and is one of the more common causes of postoperative death. The incidence of postoperative infection is incorporated into all surgical audit systems. Papers reporting developments in the basic science of infection, management of community acquired infection and trials to assess regimens of antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent infection are published in a wide range of medical journals, many beyond the range of reading of most surgeons. There have been rapid advances in the pharmaceutical industry which have led to the availability of many new antimicrobials and, for many surgeons, this has been a bewildering change. The microbiology and surgical management of infection have been reviewed in this book together with the current use of antibiotics for prophylaxis and therapy.