Summary
Multidrug resistance, emerging new pathogens, and altered epidemiologic and environmental factors constantly challenge the therapeutic strategies applied against surgical infections and nosocomial pneumonia. Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and multidrug-resistant Gram-negative rods have turned into global threats that necessitate new policies. If possible, antibiotics should be administered for shorter periods of time at high doses that cover only a small spectrum, according to pathogen. In cases of multidrug resistance, choices are limited. Vancomycin lacks efficacy in pulmonary infections. Tigecycline covers a wider spectrum than any other antibiotic, as it is effective against MRSA and extended spectrum betalactamase (ESBL)-producing rods at the same time. At the 49th Annual Meeting of the Austrian Society of Surgery, Prof. Hugo Bonatti, Innsbruck, and Dr. Oskar Janata, Vienna, gave talks on the therapeutic principles of the treatment of surgical infections and nosocomial pneumonia.