For the first time since 2010, the Infectious Disease Society of America published new guidelines for treating complex abdominal infections.
The revisions were prompted by "significant morbidity and mortality" related to intra-abdominal infections, which can turn into sepsis and septic shock if left untreated, according to the July 11 news release.
The original guidance recommended physicians use diagnostic imaging and microbiology evaluations to diagnose conditions like appendicitis, cholecystitis, cholangitis, diverticulitis, abdominal abscess and secondary bowel perforation etc.
Adding on to that, the IDSA is now recommending the use of CT, ultrasound or MRI for different infections based on patient population. They also advise on whether it is most appropriate to use blood or intra-abdominal cultures to inform care and therapy decision-making.
"Complicated intra-abdominal infections are common and life-threatening," Robert Bonomo, MD, lead author of the new guidance and a professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, said in the release. "These new guidelines will help hospitalists, intensive care clinicians and specialists in infectious diseases, surgery and emergency care make better informed recommendations for patients, backed by the most current science and research available."
The new recommendations cover insight on the severity of illness scoring tools, which type of imaging to use for acute appendicitis in adults, children and for pregnant patients, as well as for the range of other intra-abdominal conditions listed above.
The full, updated 2024 guidance was published in IDSA’s Clinical Infectious Diseases journal, and is the first in a series of updates the organization plans to make on these infections.