Marja Boermeester
Professor of Surgery
Academic Medical Center
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Dr. Boermeester spoke about the management of wound infections during the 30th Annual European Congress on Surgical Infections, held in Hamburg (Germany) in June. Dr. Boermeester emphasizes the prevention of surgical wound infection through the use of subcutaneous rather than intraabdominal drains, and through use of negative pressure wound therapy. He also provides a comprehensive review of the literature on the use of drains in different surgeries as well as the evidence on closed wound management.
With respect to the treatment of surgical site infection, various options, such as antibiotics, percutaneous drainage, wound debridement, and negative wound therapy are discussed, including a detailed explanation of negative wound therapy with instillation.