Surgical infections in immunocompromised patients--prevention and treatment.
The care of immunocompromised patients is a challenge to all physicians. The variety of opportunistic infections that can develop in these patients underscores the importance of the immune response. The key to success in the prevention and management of infections in these patients lies in knowing what kind of infections to expect and instituting empirical treatment even before a specific diagnosis is made. With the advent of better preventive strategies, the use of prophylactic and preemptive therapies, and the introduction of new immunomodulators, successful outcomes in these interesting and challenging patients may be more easy to achieve in the future.
Kusne
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Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Shapiro
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R
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D009181:Mycoses / Q000209:etiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012307:Risk Factors; D013156:Splenectomy; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000209:etiology