Patient selection: intra-abdominal infection
Goal: identify a patient who may be resistant to standard antibiotic protocols using broad spectrum antibiotics
Organisms associated with antibiotic resistance:
(1) nonfermenting Gram negative bacteria
(2) enterococci and other Gram positive bacteria
(3) fungi
Risk factors for antibiotic resistance in organisms causing an intra-abdominal infection:
(1) association with a healthcare facility
(2) therapy with corticosteroids
(3) organ transplantation
(4) liver disease
(5) pulmonary disease
(6) duodenal source for the infection
Additional associations:
(1) liver transplantation: vancomycin-resistant enterococci
(2) healthcare exposures associated with higher risk: acquisition in the ICU or hospital stay > 1 week
(3) source in upper GI tract (stomach, duodenum, small bowel): yeast
