Perspectives in surgical infections: what does the future hold?

I am honored and humbled to stand before you today, as I follow in the footsteps of the distinguished prior Surgical Infection Society (SIS) Presidents, Doctors Stephen F. Lowry, John C. Marshall, Timothy R. Billiar, Edwin A. Deitch, and Philip S. Barie, who have served in the last five years. As I contemplated the choice of topic for my Presidential Address, I reviewed the addresses of each of these individuals (Fig. 1). I also reviewed the history of the SIS and its first President, Doctor William A. Altemeier, a true pioneer in surgical infectious diseases. The topic of Doctor Altemeier’s presidential address was ‘‘Sepsis in Surgery,’’ and the paper was read at the first annual meeting of the Society in Chicago on April 25, 1981. In this address, he stated: ‘‘Infection has always been a prominent feature of human life, and sepsis in modern surgery continues to be a significant health problem throughout the world. For this reason, the Surgical Infection Society has been formed and is holding its first meeting here today’’ [1]. I hope you will indulge me today, as I have chosen to return to the topic of surgical infections to provide a current perspective and to contemplate what the future holds and the role the SIS may play. I review three categories of surgical infections: (1) surgical site and skin infections; (2) complicated intra-abdominal infections, and (3) nosocomial and other healthcare-associated infections, including ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and catheter-related blood stream infections (CR-BSI). Lastly, I touch on the topic of acute care surgery and discuss the role the SIS may play in the development of this emerging field.