Massimo Sartelli – författare

Although most clinicians are aware of the problem of antimicrobial resistance, most also underestimate its significance in their own hospital. The incorrect and inappropriate use of antibiotics and other antimicrobials, as well as poor prevention and poor control of infections, are contributing to the development of such resistance.

Appropriate use of antibiotics and compliance with infection prevention and control measures should be integral aspects of good clinical practice and standards of care. However, these activities are often inadequate among clinicians, and there is a considerable gap between the best evidence and actual clinical practice.

In hospitals, cultural determinants influence clinical practice, and improving behaviour in terms of infection prevention and antibiotics-prescribing practice remains a challenge. Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of best practices, many clinicians fail to implement them, and evidence-based processes and practices that are known to optimize both the prevention and the treatment of infections tend to be underused. Addressing precisely this problem, this volume offers an essential toolkit for all surgeons and intensivists interested in improving their clinical practices.

This book focuses on the diagnostic impact of CT scans in severe abdominal trauma and in non-traumatic acute abdomen, the two clinical entities that constitute the main reasons for referrals for this imaging technique from the intensive care unit. The concept behind it  is that emergency surgeons and physicians not only need the clinical knowledge to manage the different pathological conditions, but that they must also have a full understanding of diagnostic imaging modalities.

To this end, each chapter includes a description of a specific acute abdominal disorder. In addition to the clinical presentation and the diagnosis and management guidelines, there is a special focus on imaging studies with clear and concise descriptions, high-quality images and the evolution grading scale to aid interpretation.