Intra-abdominal infections are one of the most common gastrointestinal emergencies and a leading cause of septic shock. A consensus conference on the management of community-acquired peritonitis was published in 2000. A new consensus as well as new guidelines for less common situations such as peritonitis in paediatrics and healthcare-associated infections had become necessary. The objectives of these Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) were therefore to define the medical and surgical management of community-acquired intra-abdominal infections, define the specificities of intra-abdominal infections in children and describe the management of healthcare-associated infections.

The literature review was divided into six main themes:

diagnostic approach, infection source control, microbiological data, paediatric specificities, medical treatment of peritonitis, and management of complications. The GRADE(®) methodology was applied to determine the level of evidence and the strength of recommendations. After summarising the work of the experts and application of the GRADE(®) method, 62 recommendations were formally defined by the organisation committee. Recommendations were then submitted to and amended by a review committee. After 2 rounds of Delphi scoring and various amendments, a strong agreement was obtained for 44 (100%) recommendations.

The CPGs for peritonitis are therefore based on a consensus between the various disciplines involved in the management of these patients concerning a number of themes such as:

diagnostic strategy and the place of imaging; time to management; the place of microbiological specimens; targets of empirical anti-infective therapy; duration of anti-infective therapy.

The CPGs also specified the value and the place of certain practices such as:

the place of laparoscopy; the indications for image-guided percutaneous drainage; indications for the treatment of enterococci and fungi.

The CPGs also confirmed the futility of certain practices such as:

the use of diagnostic biomarkers; systematic relaparotomies; prolonged anti-infective therapy, especially in children.(AU)