Intra-Abdominal Surgical Infections and Their Mimics in the Critical Care Unit

Postsurgical patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) often confront a myriad of medical and new surgical complications. Among these, intra-abdominal infections remain the most formidable adversary, affecting an estimated 6% of all critically ill surgical patients. Organ dysfunction continues to be a major manifestation of these infections, resulting in a high mortality of 23% (1).